《My Sunset, Your Sunrise》


 Expect, The Unexpected

    I didn''t think I would end up this way. I thought I had it all planned out. I didn''t see it coming; and when it did, I wasn''t ready. I usually have everything in control and planned according to detail, but yet again I didn''t see it coming. And now here I am trying to wrap my head around everything and figure out what my next move is.


    He could have just told me. Seriously though, would I have listened? Probably not. I was all about me and getting my foot in the door to the next venture. He came along for the ride, he knew how I was from the start. Ain''t no shame in my game, I was never one to hold my tongue, even though on many occasions I should have. But for real though, I didn''t expect it to go down like this.


    We have been inseparable since freshman year. He told me I was the love of his life, yet to catch him in our bed with my step sister makes me think otherwise. I remember the day clearly as if it was yesterday. I had decided to come home for lunch, and I noticed Caleb''s car in the driveway. He told me that he was coming home from his business trip on Friday, so I had bought a little something sexy for the occasion. I hadn''t seen him in like 2 weeks and I was ready to see him. I remember the feeling I had at just the thought of being Mrs. Caleb Armstrong III.


    I was surprised to see him home, I guess he wanted to surprise me by coming in a day earlier. I walked in the door and threw my keys and purse on the table nearest the door. Caleb wasn''t in the tv room, which is like the first place he would be when I come home. I thought it was strange but I really didn''t care. I hadn''t seen my man in weeks and I was ready.


    I walked through the house and realized as I got closer to my bedroom, music was playing. I didn''t leave anything on when I left this morning. He must be taking a shower, I thought, I could hear the shower running. I slowly opened the door expecting to see him naked getting ready to jump in but no, he wasn''t there, he was already in the shower. The music was loud as I got closer to the bathroom, the door was slightly open. I slowly leaned in and was taken back further than I thought possible. He wasn''t alone. He was fucking someone, in the shower. I opened the door a bit more so I could get a good look of what he was doing and who he was doing it to.


    The more I stared, the more passionate their fucking was. He was hitting her from the back as she was pressed up against the back of the shower. Moans and groans made me want to catch a case, but I wasn''t going to jail after leaving them dead. They weren''t worth it. I stood there, my feet wouldn''t move. I couldn''t keep my eyes off of his tight ass pumping and grinding against her round, voluptuous ass. She was a bit lighter than me as if someone spilled a bit too much milk in the coffee. She looked as if she was trying to climb the walls as she clawed with each thrust. Her hair was curly like mine but it was two toned in color. When I saw it I thought, "Huh, cute hair." I knew someone who had the same kind of hair; the thing is we aren''t on the best of terms and they don''t live here.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She moaned with pleasure as he stroked and stroked his slick dick inside her slowly. I knew what she felt. I knew it all too well. I understood her moans and just watching him from the back I knew how each stroke felt because when we fucked, it was magical.


    "Oh Caleb, you feel so good when you''re so deep. I love it when you hit me from the back." She moaned. My ears wanted to fall off. Did I hear her right? She loves it when he hits it from the back. When? What the fuck? WHEN? How many times has he hit it from the back?


    "I know baby, I know what you like. Are you ready for me to come in the back like before?" He said while fucking her hard against the wall. I couldn''t move. Anger kept me standing there. I wanted them to see me. I wanted him to see me. I didn''t care about her, I wanted him. I wanted to see the look on his face when he saw me see him.


    "Yes baby, you know what I like. Go deep baby, give it all to me baby, just like before." She moaned as he banged her so hard, his balls slapped against her ass. Caleb pulled his dick out and he kissed her as she leaned against the wall.


    The bathroom was steamy by this time. The windows and mirror had fogged up. I still couldn''t leave. I wanted him to turn around and see me standing there. Why? I didn''t know. I could have left and told him later, just to hear him say that it didn''t happen. I wanted him to see me so he would know, that I knew, that he had fucked up. I looked around the bathroom and started thinking about how this was going to end. As soon as he would see me, of course, he would stop and say, "wait, it''s not what you think." and run behind me. But it was what I thought and there was nothing that was going to make me think otherwise.


    Remember that movie when Regina King squirted baby oil all on the floor and she whipped her husband''s ass, that thought crossed my mind. Unfortunately, it''s been a while since I used baby oil. It''s okay, coconut oil will have to do. I reached over and got the coconut oil from under the sink. They were still kissing; he had taken to getting her ass ready by sliding in and out a few fingers as she climbed the walls in sheer pleasure. He leaned down as I got closer to the shower, I just knew I was caught, but he was so focused on her, he didn''t pay attention. He started eating her out from the back, which gave me just enough time to finish the job of spreading the coconut oil on the floor. I had made it back to the door by the time Caleb finished his meal and turned her around towards the shower doors.


    The doors were foggy, but she saw me standing by the door, and I saw her: My fucking stepsister, Naveah. She saw me but she wasn''t sure, but she knew she saw someone.


    "Baby, someone is in your bathroom!" She said in a startled tone. Caleb turned around and looked. He wiped away the fog on the shower door and both of them stood there looking. Their faces looked as if they had seen the Grim Reaper coming to deliver their life sentence.


    "Aw Shit!" Naveah said. "Juni, wait!" She said, trying to "cover" up. Bitch, cover up what?


    "Juniper! Baby," Caleb started as he opened the door.


    "Don''t say SHIT to me! Neither one of you. Fuck you both!" I turned, flipped the light switch off, turned up the radio and closed the fucking door. Have fun getting out of there with no windows in the bathroom and coconut oil on the floor.

 The Meet Cute

    Juniper enters the coffee shop and she is stunned. She receives a phone call that she didn¡¯t expect to get, ever. It was Caleb calling. She stared at the phone as she walked through the door. She stopped immediately and stared at the phone.


    What the fuck? Why is this motherfucker calling me? Ignore. I¡¯m not dealing with this right now. I just got to South Korea a few weeks ago and he was not in any of my thoughts until now. Why the fuck is he calling?


    Juniper walks up to the line. Her phone rings again. There are two lines to place an order. Juniper is distracted. Min Jun is in line next to Juniper and notices her having some kind of issue. He was walking behind her, when she entered the store and then she suddenly stopped. He bumped into her a bit and he was going to apologize even though it was her who stopped in front, but he saw her face and it looked as if she had seen a ghost. She didn¡¯t expect that call and a person could tell that the person who was calling meant something to her at one time.


    The phone rings again. She just looks at the phone. He won¡¯t stop calling. Why is he calling? Juniper answers the phone. Min Jun is placing his drink order as the barista asks Juniper for her drink order. She is engrossed in the conversation but she places her order for a caramel macchiato. Min Jun''s barista gives him his total and suddenly Juniper is giving her card to the barista for payment. Min Jun and the barista look at each other as Juniper is so involved with her conversation that she doesn¡¯t pay attention that she is paying for Min Jun''s order and not her own. The barista takes the card, swipes and gives it back. Juniper walks away; by this time she was arguing over the phone. Min Jun sees she is physically distraught while dealing with whomever she is talking to. He pays for her drink and takes the receipt. He goes to find Juniper. He finds her sitting at a table, with her head in her hands and her phone facing down. She sniffs but she doesn¡¯t see Min Jun.


    Min Jun


    ¡°Excuse me, are you okay?¡± I asked. Juniper keeps her head in her hands and sniffs again. She looks up and her teary eyes meet mine looking back at her. I''m amazed; she is every bit of beautiful brown butter pecan that I have ever seen. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her face was flushed too, but she had the most amazing brown eyes and dark, curly brown hair. I had never dated a Black woman before, but I was always open if the opportunity came along. I loved everyone; I don''t discriminate, it¡¯s just not like there are a lot of Black women in South Korea that I can come across and this was an opportunity I felt to at least make a friend if possible.


    Juniper


    I looked up and there he was. I couldn¡¯t speak but it seemed as if he was speaking to me and I was answering. My thoughts raced as I was trying to figure out why I was having to deal with everything at that moment and here I was in a new country with this beautiful man standing before me and me looking like a dragon right now. I didn¡¯t care, for a moment because I¡¯m thinking, here is just another man who would probably do the same thing to a woman. All I knew was that I didn¡¯t want to feel what I was feeling at the moment. I realized that I had been looking at him for quite some time and never answered. I think I need to say something before he thinks I¡¯m crazy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, were you speaking to me?¡± I managed to say.


    ¡°Yeah, um, you were crying and you seemed like you had a fight with someone on the phone. You were a bit distracted and you paid for my drink.¡± I stared at him. Is this some type of pick up line? Is this how Korean guys pick up someone? I wasn¡¯t thinking rationally. My phone buzzed again; not again. I didn¡¯t want to deal with this idiot anymore. While I looked at my phone ringing, I received another phone call, it was my sister. I just put the phone face down and just started crying again. I didn¡¯t want to deal with this right now, not here.


    ¡°Hey, um. Let me get your drink.¡± He said as he put his bag down beside the empty seat and picked up my receipt that laid alongside the table. I didn¡¯t move, as he walked toward the counter.


    I heard his footsteps travel quietly away from me in the direction of the pick up counter. I didn¡¯t hear what he was saying. My head was ringing and I didn¡¯t understand what I was really doing there. Was I running away from my problems or did I want to be a foreigner in a different country dealing with my problems, long distance? It didn¡¯t matter, because the latter was happening. By the time I collected myself to sit up, he had returned. He slowly placed my drink in front of me and placed his across from me on the other side. He sat down quietly and waited for me to speak.


    I looked up at him, without him knowing. I paid attention to his face. He was cute and sexy. He had a nice haircut, one I liked a lot on Korean men. I noticed that every culture has a thing, and in Korean culture, I noticed the guys have bangs. I completely understand though. The hairstyle is completely versatile. I¡¯ve seen a lot of K-dramas to understand this fact. It¡¯s cool though. I¡¯ve never dated outside of my race before, Black was all I knew. However, God made them all, so I¡¯m sure his equipment would fit mine; It¡¯s all a matter of how you use it.


    His face was chiseled as he had a model type look yet he looked more down to earth. His slanted lids graced his milky brown eyes as they met mine as I glanced at the features of his face. His eyebrows were tamed and even while his skin was pale there was a soft warm glow and it was smooth like butter. The lines that created his face seemed to go on forever. Finally I paid full attention to him as he looked directly in my eyes. His eyes spoke to me; they seemed direct yet there was a caring ability about his look. As we sat for what seemed to be an eternity, gazing at each other, he smiled a bit and glanced away. He blushed. Dimples. Oh shit, I love dimples.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked, breaking the silence and awkwardness of us staring at each other. I wanted to say ¡®Hell naw, I¡¯m not okay, but I didn¡¯t want to unload my baggage on someone who was a stranger I had just met. Then I thought maybe this was something I needed to do, who knows if I¡¯ll ever see him again. At least I could get it out and clear my head.


    ¡°I wish I could say yes, but I don¡¯t feel like lying. So no, I¡¯m not okay.¡± I said looking at my drink. It looked so nice and perfect. The caramel drizzles on top of the whipped cream just like home. I ran my finger down the side of my cup as the whipped cream began to mix with the coffee.


    ¡°Ok, so don¡¯t lie to me. Tell me, what makes you cry? Or should I say, who is making you cry?¡± He said bluntly.


    I looked directly in his face and straightened up a bit. Did I give that much information by being distracted? Did I give that much information across my face? I was embarrassed to be honest. However, I liked his directness. It made me feel that I could tell him the God to honest truth and he would give me a response that would be just the same, the truth, or how he would see it to be.


    Min Jun


    I looked at her and she was so beautiful. She seemed as though her soul had been crushed. She had invested deeply in someone who just simply didn¡¯t care to take care of her heart. I didn¡¯t want to pry but I wanted to know more about her and who did this to her. She made me curious to find out what someone could do in order to make her cry so much and so hard. Her beautiful, brown skin flowed effortlessly. Her face was a bit puffy around her eyes from crying and her skin had a reddish tint.


    Her curly dark brown hair draped over her eyes a bit, but I could still see that she had been crying. Her smooth brown skin looked like the sun had kissed her ever so gently until she turned a nice bronze color. It was like she was Golden. I wanted to help and I wanted to know who did this to her. She was dressed as if she worked nearby, as she only had a small, tan fall jacket on. She wore a pair of light blue jeans with the cuffs frayed paired with a nice brown, leather boot and a crisp white button up shirt. She had a black and red messenger bag sitting in the seat next to her.


    I wanted to wipe her tears away and tell her it was okay. But just by the way she looked, she wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    ¡°My now ex-boyfriend. I¡¯ve allowed myself to get to a point in which I am crying clearly across the other side of the world and this asshole still has a hold on me.¡± She said, grabbing her straw from the wrapper and sticking into her drink. ¡°I should have known better.¡± She said to herself, in a lower tone, in the hopes that I didn¡¯t hear, or would ignore if I did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but how would you have known better unless there were things you overlooked or avoided to speak about.¡± I said. She looked at me as if I had slapped her in the face. I had said too much, too soon, and too honest. That was my flaw, I have no filter. I call it how I see it. I sometimes put my foot in my mouth right after it spills from my lips. ¡° I¡¯m sorry, I misspoke.¡± I said lowering my eyes. I didn¡¯t mean to be so forthcoming, but I hate it when I see women crying over an idiot guy because they chose to overlook something odd because they would rather be in ''love'' than to be honest with themselves. I¡¯m not saying women do this all the time, but sometimes, women will overlook something a guy does just because she¡¯s infatuated with him, and that¡¯s not love.


    ¡°No, but you¡¯re right. I knew some shit was going on and I just overlooked it. I felt it in my guts and I just let that shit pass. I feel so dumb.¡± She said looking into her drink. She felt as if she was the dumbest person in the world. Honestly, I think she was just coming into her own truth and how to embrace it. It hurts sometimes, but it¡¯s something that we always know to be correct.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry though, really. I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I can be very outspoken at times and say things that shouldn¡¯t be said sometimes.¡± I had to clear things up. I didn¡¯t want to be that person, but I didn¡¯t want to lie to her. Even if I may not end up with her, I wanted to be honest with her. As I look longingly at her, I feel something stir inside that hadn¡¯t been stirred in a while. I wanted to protect her, I didn¡¯t want to see her cry again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. To be honest, I needed that. It was my own fault and I should have known once I had that feeling, ya know. But I didn¡¯t want it to be real, so I figured if I pretended like nothing was wrong, then I would be okay. I just didn¡¯t want to start over again. I had invested years with that motherfucker, and I didn¡¯t want to start over.¡± I knew exactly what she meant. I had broken up with someone and I had invested my time into that relationship, just to have her turn around and move on to the next big thing. She was with me when I started my journey of becoming an Idol artist, but when I wasn¡¯t chosen for the group, she moved on to someone who had been chosen. I knew she wasn¡¯t there for me, she just wanted to be in the spotlight and she was willing to use anyone who could get her there, regardless if feelings were involved.


    Juniper


    ¡°Here¡¯s your receipt.¡± He said as he slid it over to my side of the table. ¡°Remember? You paid for my drink.¡± He said smiling and sipping his black sugar milk tea.


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I said sliding it over to take a glance at my charge.


    ¡°My name is Min Jun (Min-Joon). Some people call me Mike.¡± He said leaning forward, being attentive and wanting to have a full conversation. I believe he wanted to have more than one liners.


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    ¡°Hi Min Jun. I¡¯m Juniper. Some call me Juni.¡± I looked at him and he was looking back at me with a satisfied grin. He was happy that I had given my name. He really seemed interested in me. And then I thought, wait This is one of those moments that he could be taking advantage of me and I just look the other way because he was cute. ''Juni pull it together girl!¡¯ I thought, you don¡¯t know this man. He saw a crying Black woman in a country where she stands out - The Most. I straightened up and had some dignity about myself. I put my phone on silent. I just wanted to have a conversation that didn¡¯t evolve around what I was going through at the moment.


    ¡°So, Min Jun, what brings you here? You don¡¯t have a job or something? Don¡¯t you have to be somewhere? Or is your God given duty to help crying foreigners find their way home?¡± I joked. He smirked.


    ¡°Well, I usually come here before I get to the office. But I ran into this person who seemed like they needed a friendly ear and I had the time, since one of my meetings had been moved to the afternoon.¡°


    ¡°Oh, ok. Nice flexibility in the workplace. That¡¯s a good sign, you are a good employee.¡± I said trying to save face.


    ¡°I¡¯m the best.¡± He said staring right into my soul. He blushed again and smirked as he looked away. He made me smile. What was it about this man that is taking my mind off of¡­.Shit, he actually took my mind off of Caleb.


    ¡°So Juni, what brings you here?¡± He asked. I had totally forgot, that it was only my third week in Seoul and I had just started a job for an advertisement agency.


    ¡°I am three weeks new and I landed a job for an advertisement agency. I had just finished for the day and I was just taking time out for myself. I¡¯ve been running since I landed.¡± I said exhaustingly. I took a sip of my drink and closed my eyes. It was like I was back at home sitting in my friend¡¯s coffee shop she and her husband had opened.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re 3 weeks new huh? Interesting.¡± He said, sipping his drink.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for earlier, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention. I was all caught up in a moment and I can¡¯t believe I allowed myself to sink so deep where everyone and everything was invisible. It felt like it was just me and him, going through the motions. Feeling every bit of anger creeps across my skin like ants on a trail.¡± I said looking at my phone. It had finally stopped ringing. I had 12 missed calls and 4 voicemails.


    ¡°No worries. At least you have come back to us for now. So you work for an advertising agency? What do you do? Find people to place in commercials or are you one of those who directs them?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Uh, no, I work in the design department. I create picture boards or designs for commercials. My true calling is becoming a game developer. I have an amazing idea for a great game.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. You know, it¡¯s good to see you smile. From that phone call, it seemed as if you didn¡¯t have one. A smile, that is. But you have a beautiful one.¡± Min Jun said as he looked directly at me. Just his look made me feel that I could tell him every damn thing that I had ever done. He looked so sexy and sweet at the same fucking time. How is this possible?


    ¡°Thank you. I appreciate that. It wasn¡¯t one of my flattering moments.¡± I said looking from under my curly bangs. He smiled back at me which made me smile again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you don¡¯t mind me asking. You said your now ex-boyfriend. Does he know this, that he¡¯s an ex, I mean?¡± He said sitting curiously intriguing. He was asking an honest question. An honest question from a person who may have a motive. I didn¡¯t give a fuck anymore, it was about the fuckboy who just fucked me over. I started replaying the shower in my head. Fuck!


    ¡°Oh, um, well. When you saw me earlier, I was telling him I was done. Of course, he was saying all the things I wanted him to say, but I was just tired of the lies. He had lied to me too much and I was just tired of accepting them. I made the mistake of accepting the first lie and it just snowballed into a huge, out of control response that I would just simply overlook because I didn¡¯t want to have to start over after investing all of this time from my life.¡± I just unloaded a whole lot of shit. This motherfucker here got me out here talking like I¡¯m on a couch, telling my life story and we were just in a coffee shop in the corner booth. Where did he come from?


    Min Jun


    She just unloaded some shit. I didn¡¯t think she would be so open and honest. Not many women are. It¡¯s like they play a game with the mind, but we just don¡¯t understand it. But seriously, some of us know how to tap into our mental side in order to connect mentally with with a woman. Women are emotional creatures and their emotions can just run wild inside which creates friction that makes her react in ways that some men would never understand. But it''s all about adapting.


    ¡°Oh, wow. Okay. So he wants you back, is what you¡¯re telling me.¡± I said jokingly. She looked at me and giggled.


    ¡°Yeah. I guess if you look at it like that.¡± She said looking at her phone. She had a picture of them together as her lock screen. She was in deep thought as  I just watched her; so many emotions waved across her face and in her eyes. She was reminiscing and it was a nice moment, until she realized that it was never going to be like that again. I could see her get a bit stressed as she unlocked the phone and made the gesture of changing her settings.


    ¡°So what have you done since you¡¯re 3 weeks old?¡± I wanted to know where she has been, who she has met. I wanted to know if there was another person who even had a remote chance of stealing her looks from me. I didn¡¯t want her to stray away from me.


    What the Fuck?! What is up with this girl that wants me to just find out all about her. Where did she come from? What goals does she have in life? I know it¡¯s too soon to date, but would she think about giving me a chance? She seems pretty open. I would love to spread some butter on those golden biscuits. But I digress, I don¡¯t want to be that guy; that guy usually has a mission for his own reward. I really want to make her happy. She seems like she is a pretty cool person to hang out with when she¡¯s not crying and emotionally drained.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done much of anything to be honest. My friend and neighbor, Jina, has been showing me around, but with our work schedule we haven¡¯t been able to hang out much; it¡¯s just the timing of everything. She works in the accounting dept for a noodle company and they are working on a big project.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok. Well, I haven¡¯t made plans for dinner. How about I treat you to a meal tonight?¡± I could use some company at dinner sometimes. No matter how much I enjoy hanging with my friends, I couldn''t pass up this opportunity.


    ¡°Uh, tonight?¡± She was caught off guard. She wasn¡¯t planning to hang out tonight. She wanted to wallow in my misery, I thought. I didn¡¯t want to rush her if she wasn¡¯t ready. I¡¯m sure she will let me know. She hesitated and seemed to be thinking. To be honest, I am a stranger but this could have gone the wrong way a long time ago. Yet, I didn¡¯t want her to feel rushed.


    ¡°If tonight is too soon....¡± I started. It looked as if she was not feeling the thought. Maybe I was thinking too fast for her right now.


    ¡°Uh, sure. Why not.¡± She said casually interrupting me. She was taking a chance and I was going to take this opportunity and run. I looked back at her as she was sloshing around her coffee and ice with her straw. She looked at me and smiled. She knew it could only get better from where I first met her, or at least it will be different.


    ¡°Great. I know a place that has good food. It''s near the Lotte Tower.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of the Lotte Tower. I haven¡¯t gone but I¡¯ve heard of it from my neighbor in my building and from one of the girls that I work with. There¡¯s a Lotte World too right?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, there is. I¡¯ll have to take you there one day.¡± I said, knowing that I will. It should make her smile. She has one of the most captivating smiles I have ever seen. Her lips had a little curl to them at the corners when she smiled. Her brownish pink lips glistened as she licked the whipped cream from the straw. I saw her curl her tongue around the straw and I felt my mouth open. She looked at me in mid-lick and I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away. It was at that moment, I was supposed to look away but I couldn¡¯t; I wanted to watch. Her eyes met mine and she froze. For a second we stared, it was as if she was speaking to me because I heard words.


    It was like she was speaking to my soul and  at that moment she saw through me. I couldn¡¯t lie to her if I wanted to. I felt as if she could hear my heart beating as she licked the straw. She saw me staring at her and she stared right back. She continued licking the straw until she retrieved every bit of the foam. She smiled and I blushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said, but I didn¡¯t lower my eyes this time, because I wasn¡¯t sorry. I wanted her to know that I liked what I saw.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good.¡± She giggled. ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡± She said, I looked at her and smiled, she made me blush again.


    ¡°So are you.¡± I said in response. She stopped and looked at me with a look that made me wonder what she was thinking. I silently hoped she was sizing me up.


    My phone rang, it was Jin, my co-worker. He and I usually eat together after work, but he will most definitely understand why I won¡¯t be available tonight.


    ¡°One moment, please.¡± I said as I got up and to take the phone call.


    ¡°Sure, no worries.¡± She went back to her drink and picked up the receipt. Her phone buzzed as I walked away. I turned around to see if she was picking it up. She looked at it, rolled her eyes and placed it face down. It must have been him. I wanted to know what exactly he did, but for some reason, I already knew.


    Juniper


    Min Jun had a call he had to take, and I watched his swagger as he walked away from the table. Smooth, nice, sexy, almost bowlegged walk. His clothes wore his body well. Even in the chill of fall, I could almost imagine his body underneath, the way his clothes swayed with his movement.


    The fucking phone rang as he was walking away, I glanced at it and of course, it was idiot for the up-teenth time. I just laid it face down. I really didn¡¯t want to deal right now. I needed to get my head straight. I was tired of his bullshit and this was the last draw. My mind wanted to know how long had they been fucking behind my back. I wanted to know, did he actually go on those trips alone or was she with him. As I started to think about it, I started to think about a trip that he was going on and my sister was ironically going to the same place. I thought wouldn¡¯t it be fun if they hung out together, unbeknownst to me they did, in more ways than one.


    I heard the message notification come across my phone, he had left yet another message. I didn¡¯t want to hear his voice at all. I just wanted to disappear and come out when I was ready to face the world. Why does it seem that everyone knows you are going through something when you are actually going through something, but you think you are the only one going through it? I didn¡¯t want people to watch me cry and I definitely didn¡¯t want to be a foreigner crying in public.


    I looked at my messages, and my mother had called as well. I wonder what they are trying to conspire with now. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s talked to my mother and she¡¯s sucked into his words. Min Jun had completed his phone call and he was returning to the table. I was mesmerized by his walk. He walked with such confidence, it¡¯s like he knew he looks good and he feeds off of knowing, but not in a narcissistic type manner.


    ¡°Ok, so I gotta run to the office, there are some things I need to take care of before my meeting.¡± He said as he picked up his bag. ¡°So tonight, right?¡± He said, expecting an answer.


    ¡°Yes, tonight. Here¡¯s my number.¡± I took his phone and put my number in it. He watched me silently, my every move. I could feel his eyes watching me as I called my phone after saving my name as Juni. My phone rang and I handed him back his phone. ¡°Now, I have yours as well.¡± I denied the call.


    ¡°Nice. Well it was nice to meet you. I¡¯m sorry for having to leave first, but I will contact you later on. Trust me, it''s a nice place. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡± He said putting his phone in his pocket and placing his bag on one shoulder.


    ¡°No worries. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± I responded. He had packed up all of his belongings and waited just a sec before heading out the door. He looked back when he got to the door and smiled, then he was off. I can see his hair bounce as he jogged down the street. Interesting. I didn¡¯t think this would go in this direction.


    At this point, I¡¯m ready to try something different. I¡¯m tired of feeling that I¡¯m not worthy enough for my man to be good to me. I deserve so much better. I needed this change because I needed to live for myself this time.

 The Dinner Date

    Min Jun


    I finally got back to the office and Jin was at his desk as usual, right next to mine.


    ¡°Annyeong.¡± I said as I slipped into my desk. Jin turned around and leaned over.


    ¡°So, dinner tonight right? Where are we going this time?¡± He asked, looking at his phone for possible places to eat.


    ¡°Not tonight, something has come up.¡± I said as I started running a report that would be needed for today¡¯s meeting.


    ¡°What? What do you mean something¡¯s come up. What has come up?¡± He said as he stopped scrolling momentarily to look up at me. I saw his bewildered look in my peripheral vision. Her face came to my mind. I smiled as I pushed print on the documents.


    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± He said as he stopped scrolling again, this time paying more attention. I looked at him and got up from my chair and walked over to the copy machine. Jin followed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, not tonight. But I¡¯ll tell you more tomorrow.¡± I said as I started making copies for the meeting.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you won¡¯t tell me? It¡¯s not like you met some random person that you¡¯re blowing me off for.¡± He said jokingly. I looked up at him and stared. Out of all the times he got shit wrong, this time he got shit right. My face told him his answer before he even had the question. He looked at me and realized that he was right just by my face. ¡°You met someone?¡±


    ¡°Well, not technically. I kind of ran into her physically but then she bought my drink and it went from there.¡± I said honestly, however in a way it seemed totally made up.


    ¡°Be serious. Did you meet someone?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I finally said, he was starting to get attention in our direction, which is not something I wanted the entire office to know about. It¡¯s bad enough there are some women here who practically threw themselves at guys. They may be beautiful but I feel that our chemistry just won¡¯t be there as it seems they are the type of women that want to be pampered and not how to reciprocate the same. Those are the types that I completely avoid, however I¡¯ve had my share of running into them and them sizing me up.


    ¡°Who is she? Do I know her? Where did you meet her? He asked so many questions so fast, I started to forget the questions before he let me answer.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t know her. She just moved here from America 3 weeks ago.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have but I did. I let him know she was an American. He¡¯ll be excited about that. He¡¯s always wanted to go to America, I can see him eventually living there. He loves the western culture so much. He¡¯s going to die when I tell him she¡¯s Black. He¡¯ll have so many questions as he always wanted to date a foreigner. He has always been fascinated by cultures learning about other cultures.


    ¡°What? Wait? What¡­ American?¡± He just couldn¡¯t believe it. I looked at his face and I never knew a person¡¯s eyes could get so big. He was floored. I will wait to tell him later about her race. I don¡¯t think he could handle so much at once.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything, tomorrow. Well, not everything, but I¡¯ll give you more details tomorrow.¡± I said grabbing the copies.


    ¡°Where did you meet her?¡± He asked as he followed me to the conference room. I sat down at the end of the table and Jin took the seat to the right of me. There was no one in the room as we were preparing for the meeting.


    ¡°I met her at Hell Cafe. We sat and talked for a while.¡± I said as I was placing the report packages in front of each chair at the table.


    ¡°Oh, I wondered where you went this morning. I stopped by your place this morning after I found out that the meeting had been moved. I thought you might have wanted to pick up breakfast.¡± Jin said setting up the laptop for the presentation. ¡°So, American huh? You¡¯ve got to tell me everything.¡± Jin said tapping softly on the keyboard


    Jin was a hardworking guy who I¡¯ve known since we were in university together. We were both happy that we landed at the same company and we would work in the same department. The two of us basically helped each other get through exams and university itself. People would often think we were brothers due to our closeness, but it¡¯s just that we are compatible with each other. He looked like the typical accountant with glasses and button up shirts, however he has a modern flair that he incorporates into his wardrobe that makes his style work.


    Juniper


    After Min Jun left, I had to get myself together. I had to get that motherfucker out my head and stop allowing him to fuck up anything and everything I had going on over here. Min Jun was kind enough to see me as a woman in distress instead of a distraught, crazy woman. But then again, he may have seen me like that in the beginning. I sat there smiling, thinking about his face. The way he looked at me, made me curious. His eyes were amazing, as if they looked deep in my soul. He seemed very sincere. It made me intrigued with him; wanting to know more about him. This was the first time in a long time that I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. Someone actually caught my attention and it was nice being seen.


    I grabbed my drink, phone and decided it was time for me to head back to my place to get ready for my dinner date. I hadn¡¯t been out and about since I got here. My neighbors were nice enough to show me places around my building so I could walk to get a quick bite to eat, if I needed. I don¡¯t have a car, I refuse to drive here as my Korean is not the best and I really don¡¯t need to get lost. As I walked back to my apartment, I put in my pods and listened to my music as I walked home. It¡¯s one of those days that I don¡¯t mind walking because I have so much on my mind, I need to regroup what I¡¯m doing because I don¡¯t need a rebound, I really don¡¯t feel like going through that at all.


    Finally reaching my door, as I put in my keycode, my neighbor, Jina, opens the door to get her package left at her door. She¡¯s on the phone and speaking Korean with a bit of English mixed in.


    ¡°Yes, I have it.¡± She says as she picks up the package. She looks at me and her eyes start to dance. She is always making me feel welcomed each and every time I see her. ¡°Oh, Juni! Annyeong!¡± She says as he waves.


    ¡°Annyeong!¡± I reply with a small bow. I¡¯ve learned a bit since I¡¯ve been here alone. She smiles and bows a bit before going back to her conversation on the phone. She goes back to her apartment and closes the door.


    Finally inside, I slip on my houseshoes and collapse on the small couch in the living room. It¡¯s a small apartment, compact and exactly what I need. It¡¯s big enough for two people, however I don¡¯t use much space as I usually stay either on the couch or in my bed. As I hang my jacket, I check my schedule for tomorrow. I have a few projects I need to complete for a few commercials in the morning, so my day will start rather early. Hopefully I don¡¯t stay out too long tonight. I¡¯ll make some excuse to leave early. To be honest, I can just tell the truth, I have no reason to lie or need an excuse; I have an early day.


    After taking a nice long, hot shower I was ready to be as comfy as possible. I wasn¡¯t really sure what I should wear. I wanted to text Min Jun to ask what type of place he was taking me too, but I didn¡¯t want to seem eager. As I looked at my selection of outfits, my message notification went off. I picked it up, it was from Min Jun.


    [Min-Jin] You can dress casually. It¡¯s a nice place but no need to be overdressed.  I¡¯m glad he read my mind. Very interesting, how¡¯d he know I would be contemplating on what to wear?


    [Juniper] Thank you. I appreciate that.


    [Min Jun] If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to come and pick you up. Please send me your address.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to pick me up, so I wasn¡¯t prepared to let him know where I lived. Again, he might be nice and cute, but I¡¯ve just met this man in a moment of uncertainty. I don¡¯t want him to take this opportunity to take advantage of me; I had to tell myself, I can¡¯t let my guard down by his handsomeness. I had to think of something, what do I say? I¡¯m sure he was waiting for a response, judging by the [......] he sent. There is a 7-Eleven not far from my building that is in walking distance. I¡¯ll have him pick me up there. I¡¯ll tell him that I will meet him there. As I sent the text, I got flushed. My stomach flipped as if I was going on a first date. Honestly, I think it¡¯s just because I¡¯m hungry.


    I needed to get in the mood so I had decided to get my groove on to put me in the right mood to enjoy myself. I turned on my wireless speaker and danced around my apartment to Dua Lipa¡¯s Levitating. I danced in front of my door mirror as I picked up a pair of nice black, hip hugging jeans and a smart, crisp white button up. I rolled up the sleeves half way up my arms and pulled a nice brown knit oversized sweater over my shirt. I grabbed my pair of black boots to top off my look. I looked at my hair and decided to pull my curly locks into a nice, puff ball ponytail atop my head. Min Jun will be able to see my entire face this time as I don¡¯t have my luscious curls to hide my face. I was all into listening to my music and getting myself psyched for the evening, that I didn¡¯t realize the time. Min Jun had texted me; he was at the 7-Eleven waiting for me.


    [Min Jun] I¡¯m here, looking for you.


    [Juniper] I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m on my way.  I texted as I grabbed my purse and hung it sideways around my body. I grabbed my phone and keys and I was out the door.


    As I turned the corner, there he was standing outside his car, looking sexy as fuck. He was leaning against the car with his hand in one pocket and his phone in the other hand. As I was coming around the corner, I received another text message from him.


    [Min Jun] Is everything okay?  I saw him look around to see if he could see me coming. When he finally looked my way, he stopped and stared. He saw me. I could tell he saw me. He looked relieved that I showed up. He started smiling shyly and watched me as I walked towards him.


    I felt my heart beat harder in my chest. What the fuck? Is this because he is watching me or am I happy to see him? He looked happy to see me. He straightened up as I got closer and he put his phone in his pocket.


    ¡°Hi.¡± He said looking at me with a very satisfied look on his face.


    ¡°Annyeong.¡± I said with a small bow. I was so used to doing it when seeing Jina, it came out naturally


    ¡°Oh, you speak Korean?¡± His eyes lit up as if I had become more interesting to him.


    ¡°Just a little. I¡¯m learning.¡± I said smiling.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad to see you. dangsin-i waseo gippeubnida.¡± He said. Just hearing him speak his native language, made chills race across my arms. I just want him to speak


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I came too.¡± His eyes grew bigger. He was impressed. I remembered that saying because Jina would say it all the time when she wanted me to go somewhere with her; she was kind to me and always wanted to show me places to go around when I¡¯m alone.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I am. Where are we going?¡± I asked


    ¡°A nice little place. Let¡¯s go.¡± He opened the door and held it open for me. He watched me as I walked over and sat down in the passenger seat. He smiled as I sat comfortably in the seat and he closed the door gently. I reached over and opened the door for him out of common courtesy.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve never had anyone open the door for me as well.¡± He said as he sat down.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a thing in the States. It¡¯s kind of a way you can tell if the person you are with is the right one for you.¡± I said.


    ¡°Really? How is that?¡± He said putting on his seat belt.


    ¡°Well, if the person in the car is kind enough to open the door, just as you had for them, then they are caring in a way as they want to return the favor that you bestowed upon them.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± He said, looking at me. Our eyes locked. I blushed.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. It¡¯s like the person will reciprocate the same feelings and gestures to you as you have given them.¡± I said, clicking my seatbelt.


    ¡°Understood. I like that. So it¡¯s like giving the same courtesy that was given.¡± He said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I said, smiling at him. He smiled and glanced at my face.


    ¡°You look different with your hair pulled back. I can see your face now.¡± He said as he turned the key in the ignition. The car started up and hummed.


    ¡°Different in a good way?¡± I asked, being curious. I wanted him to say, hell yeah it''s in a good way.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re cute.¡± He said as he pulled out of the parking spot. My stomach flipped. I knew he was direct, I just wasn¡¯t prepared. This was going to be an interesting dinner.


    I smiled as we drove, thinking about what he said. He said I was cute. So was he. As I looked around the city, I would steal a glance at him as he was driving. He looked really nice. His hair was cut in one of the many Korean men hairstyles; tapered at the back and on the sides, front bangs with a natural part in the front. His lips were full and looked as if they tasted cherry flavored. His skin was smooth and almost flawless. I glanced out the window again, taking in the sights and thinking, ¡®What would it be like to kiss him?¡¯.  I bit my lip slightly just thinking about it. I smiled a bit and looked at his hands on the steering wheel. He had a nice manicure and strong looking fingers. Silver rings dotted 8 of his fingers paired with a nice, thick, curb chain bracelet. It''s something about guys and rings that captivates me.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Min Jun asked. It startled me a bit, I wasn¡¯t prepared for him to speak to me. I was in a dream world inside my head and I had played out the next week or so.


    ¡°Um yeah. I haven¡¯t eaten much today.¡± I actually thought about it, I hadn¡¯t eaten at all to be honest. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve eaten since I saw you earlier today.¡± I said thinking if I actually had a morsel of food to eat.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten? You must be starving.¡± He said glancing at me periodically. ¡°Well I would like for you to eat well. I want you to enjoy yourself.¡± He said as he pulled up to the red light.


    We stopped and I could feel him looking at me. I turned my head and he was staring directly at me. He looked so honest and caring. We stayed for a moment that seemed like a lifetime, getting lost in each other¡¯s gaze. I was mesmerized, I was under his spell and I didn¡¯t want a cure.


    Min Jun


    Juni looked so beautiful, with her hair pulled up, and out of her face. Her brown, satin skin flowed like milk chocolate across her body. I had never dated an American woman, yet alone a Black American woman, and I felt myself in unfamiliar territory. However, with this match being so anomalous, it piqued my interest. Her eyes were big, brown and alluring. She looked more in control than when we met earlier. ¡®How could someone let her go?¡¯ I thought.


    Her glossy lips looked soft and sweet as she licked her lips and smiled shyly away. The light had changed and it was time for us to go. I had to pay attention to the road. We had a moment at the red light. I know she felt it, she kept her gaze with me. Our eyes locked and I was deep in a daze with her staring right back at me. I didn¡¯t want to do anything stupid but I know I felt something. I wanted to rush through all of the traffic but as anxious as I am, I didn¡¯t want to rush a thing; I wanted to enjoy every moment, as much as I can and as much as she will allow.


    Finally, I pulled into a parking spot not far from Songpa Naru Park (Seokchon Lake Park). It was a nice night and the weather was beautiful for a walk after dinner. I rushed around to open the door for her as she waited. I opened the door and she smiled as I held out my hand to help her out of the car. She took my hand and got out of the car. She smiled as she stepped out. I leaned down to see her smile and my heart raced. She released my hand as I closed the door and straightened out her oversized sweater. She dresses well and she makes clothes look good. Her build was not the same as Korean women, she was curvy and thick in all of the right places. She had a different build than all of the women I had dated in the past, which is how I¡¯ve come to make my decisions. I¡¯ve been doing the same thing with the same kind of people, and I have ended up alone, yet again. I think it¡¯s time to set outside the box and broaden my horizons.


    ¡°We have a short walk from here.¡± I managed to say as I motioned to walk in the direction of the restaurant.


    ¡°Oh ok, no problem. Where are we going again?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Otsu Seiromushi. It¡¯s a nice place one of my coworkers mentioned to me. They have Japanese, Asian and Korean dishes.¡± I said walking beside her with my hands in my pockets.


    ¡°Oh ok, nice. I love to try new things. Since I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve been addicted to Shin ramen and kimbap from 7-Eleven.¡± She giggled. I smiled just seeing her relaxed. She was a totally different person from earlier. She seemed so confident, self assured and curious. As we walked down the street, she took in the sights like a newborn. She was fascinated by the various shops along the way as well as the apartments located nearby.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will love this. Make sure you get full, to make up for the entire day.¡± I said. She looked at me and nodded her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get too full, I might get sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of you if you do. ¡° I said. She stopped and looked at me. I stopped just barely in front of her. This was a thought provoking response for her. She wasn¡¯t ready for such a plain-spoken person. To me, there was no need to beat around the bush. I don¡¯t like playing games as I have found out in the past, it got me nowhere. I know what I like and what I don¡¯t, and she was someone I wanted to know more about.


    I reached out and carefully and gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. She seemed shocked by my words but yet relieved. I know she wants someone to be real with her. She wants the same thing I want; we want to be seen by our significant other. I slowly let go of her wrist as she had caught up to me and was walking closely to me, shoulder to shoulder. We finally reached the door and I proceeded to open it for her to go in first. She smiled as she passed in front of me, our eyes locked again; my heart skipped a beat. I hadn¡¯t felt like this in a long time and I thought that this feeling would never come again. But there was something about Juni that made my heart come back to life, and I was determined to make sure this feeling would remain.


    As we were seated Juni excused herself to the restroom. I glanced over the menu as I patiently waited. A thought popped into my mind; the look she gave me when she passed me at the door. It was the same look she gave me when we had our ¡°moment¡± in the car. It made me want to get close to her. Just thinking about her eyes made my heart race again. I didn¡¯t want to go too fast with her as she had been hurt, but I didn¡¯t want to drag my feet and have someone else swoop in and take her from me. I had to have a plan. I was so deep in thought, it was a moment before I realized Juniper had returned. She slowly sat down and looked at me.


    Juniper


    When we arrived at the restaurant, I excused myself and went to the restroom. I wanted to collect myself. I need to slow down. I don¡¯t need to rush this. That is how I got myself in trouble by falling so hard suddenly. I looked at myself in the mirror. ¡®Juni girl, you got this. It¡¯s just dinner. Dinner. Breathe. Focus. Gather Information. Read the signs.¡¯ I had to tell myself otherwise I will still be on cloud #9, just floating. After I collected myself I returned to the table. Min Jun was deep in thought. I was curious what he was thinking because he almost didn¡¯t realize I had returned.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Lost in thought?¡± I said. He looked up and our eyes met again. I wanted to know what he was thinking because the look he gave me made me feel that he could just devour me at once and I would totally submit.


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± he smiled. ¡°Deep thought.¡± He said looking directly into what seemed like my soul. How could this man have this control over me? Does he know what he is doing to me? Is he always like this?


    ¡°Care to share?¡± I asked, hoping to get some insight on what he was thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but later, when I take you home.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Deal.¡± I was curious and I would make sure to find out what was and still is on his mind.


    I looked at the menu, which was in Korean. I was learning, but I hadn¡¯t gotten that far to remember the letters and numbers of the Korean alphabet. There were some pictures but not enough to explain what I was about to eat. I put the menu down and sat back. Min Jun picked up on my gesture and took control of the situation.


    ¡°Is there anything you don¡¯t like to eat?¡± He asked, looking at the menu.


    ¡°Um not really, I¡¯m open to a few things, wait I¡¯ll take that back, I do not like squid or octopus when it¡¯s whole.¡± I said matter of factly. He stopped and looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°So as long as you really can¡¯t tell what it is, and it tastes good, you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°You got it. I don¡¯t eat crawfish, because of the little heads, I don¡¯t eat braised fish because of the head, I just don¡¯t like to eat something staring back at me. And just to see the body of a squid just makes my skin crawl.¡± I said making faces at the same time. I realized what I was doing but it was too late. Min Jun had already seen my face, he was laughing. His smile was wide and beautiful as his lips spread open showing his nice and bright, pearly whites.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got a little carried away. I just really don¡¯t like that.¡± I said with one last body shiver.


    ¡°I understand. I will order something tasty. You will love it.¡± He looked back at the menu and then motioned for the waiter to take his order.


    After dinner, I was so full. The food was so good, I practically ate like there was no tomorrow. My stomach was aching and I knew I had reached my limit. We also had a bottle of Soju which is an amazing - ¡°put you on yo ass¡± drink. It¡¯s the absence of the taste of alcohol that does it. That little drink comes in an assortment of flavors which will take you by surprise when you drink too much. I started feeling the effects after shot number 2 and knew I was no contender. I had to hold my shit and keep it together. I was not about to let my alter ego out; it would totally change the way this man looks at me.


    As we walked back towards where the cars were parked, we walked slowly and chatted a bit. The walk felt great to help me move the food down as I felt as though I was going to explode.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Min Jun asked as he walked beside me with his hands in his pockets. He looked good; he had a nice comfy and smart style. He had a nice pair of light blue jeans matched with a gray sweater and a soft leather jacket, topped off with a pair of black oxford shoes. He was effortlessly comfortable.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling full.¡± I said stopping and holding my stomach. I let out a small burp and instantly regretted it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Pardon me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m happy you are full.¡± He said tilting his head towards me which made me look directly in his eyes.


    ¡°Tonight feels good. This reminds me of home a bit, with the weather being cool and crisp."


    ¡°Would you like to walk around a bit? There is a park not far from where we parked?¡± He said hoping I would say yes.


    ¡°Sure, that would be nice.¡± I said.


    ¡°Awesome, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We walked a few blocks down to Songpa Naru Park (Seokchon Lake Park). It was a beautiful park with trails lined with cherry blossom trees and strings of clear lights lining the walkway. It looked amazing and peaceful. The cherry blossoms were out of season, but it was still nice to walk around; I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be back in Spring to see them bloom. There were a few people out enjoying the night like us as we strolled along the path. The park isn¡¯t far from Lotte Tower and Lotte World, as you could see the tower standing tall across the park. There was a Rubber Duck Festival happening in Seoul that lasted until Halloween. It was amazing to see a huge, glowing rubber duck floating on the water of the park. We stopped nearby to take a photo; for the first time, in a long time, I was really enjoying myself.


    Min Jun


    I was able to persuade Juni to take a walk after our dinner. She said she was really full and we had Soju so I knew we were a bit tipsy. I didn¡¯t want the night to end just yet, so I figured we could walk around the park to help our food digest. The night was perfect, there were a few people here and there at the park, but it wasn¡¯t overwhelming. There was a huge rubber duck on display on the lake for the festival being held. Juni wanted to take a picture of the duck; how could I refuse.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a picture together to mark your adventures.¡± I said holding my phone at arm¡¯s length. Yes, it¡¯s a selfie, so she will need to come close to me, I thought. Juni didn¡¯t hesitate to come close at all. I had my back to the rubber duck and she walked over directly to me. She gently wrapped her arm around my waist and snuggled in close, placing her face close to my chest. We were the perfect height for each other. I was just a bit taller but we fit perfectly. She smiled at the camera and held up the peace sign and posed with duck lips. I snapped the picture; she was so cute.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take another.¡± She said, With no hesitation, I positioned myself for another picture. She turned around and faced me this time. I felt Juni pull me closer to her. I was a bit thrown off and I snapped the picture. My heart started beating so fast, I¡¯m sure she could hear it beating in my chest. Her perfume graced my nostrils as she stood next to me. She looked up at me as I held the camera ready for the shot.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind do you? I¡¯m a bit close.¡± She asked. I wanted to reassure her that I didn¡¯t mind at all. I placed my arm around her waist and pulled her closer. I wanted her to feel my heart beating. She made my heart flutter like never before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± I managed to say. I looked directly at her, not wavering and not blinking. I wanted her to know that she need not worry. She blushed, smiled and lowered her eyes. She felt what I was giving and she acknowledged just by her actions. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ready.¡± She said and looked at the camera. She tilted her head towards mine and held up her finger heart. I snapped the picture. ¡°Can you send me a copy of those?¡± She said slowly, stepping back and fidgeting with her sweater.


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll send you all of them.¡± I replied.


    We walked around for about another 20 minutes, however it was getting late and I didn¡¯t want to have Juniper home too late. I wanted to make sure she had enough rest for her work day tomorrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we should start back towards the car.¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, I have an early start tomorrow. But this was fun, thank you Min Jun.¡± Juniper said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m glad you enjoyed yourself.¡± I said.


    ¡°So, Min Jun, what else do you like to do for fun?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Well, I love to play video games and I love to dance.¡± I said walking beside her. She looked at me with a curious look.


    ¡°Really? Dance. Any particular type of dance?¡± She said putting her hands in her pockets. The weather had dropped a bit and it seemed like it was having an effect on her.


    ¡°Well, I used to be a trainee, to be honest with you. But I didn¡¯t make the cut.¡± I said. I really thought I was what they were looking for, but they took Max instead.


    ¡°Really? So you can dance huh?¡± She said, smiling at me. Her smile was wide and beautiful. The wind blew slightly and she shivered a bit. I stopped in front of her, which made her stop abruptly. She looked at me strangely, trying to figure out why I cut her off. I took off my jacket and placed it on her shoulders. ¡° Thank you.¡± She said looking lovingly into my eyes. All I wanted to do was take care of her. I didn¡¯t want to see her sad as the day I met her. I wanted that smile to greet me on a daily basis.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been dancing since I was young. I would dance around the city, but when I got chosen for the trainee camp, I tried my hardest to make it. I ended up getting cut and my former friend made the group.


    ¡°Oh wow.¡± She said as she pulled my jacket around her for warmth. ¡°Well, you have to show me your moves sometimes.¡± I giggled a bit. I would love to take her dancing; I think we would most definitely be in sync.


    ¡° I will.¡± I replied. We had arrived back at the car and she was standing in front of me. I wanted to kiss her so much. I wanted to feel her lips against mine. However, I didn¡¯t want to leave an impression on her of being a ¡®fuck boy¡¯. I wasn¡¯t even in that category. I wanted a real relationship. I opened the passenger door for Juni so she could get in.


    ¡°Is that a promise?¡± She said as I closed the door. I didn¡¯t expect her to speak at the moment, and I was embarrassed.


    I ran around the driver¡¯s side and sure enough, Juniper was reaching for the door handle to let me in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to say something as I closed the door.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. But now you have to promise.¡± She said, looking at me. I smiled at her shyly.


    ¡°Yes, I promise.¡± She smiled; she was happy. So was I.


    Juniper


    I was so happy, I had to contain myself because when it''s this good, something is bound to happen. I¡¯m not hoping for something bad to happen, but we¡¯ve all heard the saying, ¡®If it¡¯s too good to be true, it probably is.¡¯ I had an amazing time with Min Jun. I had an amazing meal as well and now he was taking me home.


    ¡°Juniper?¡± Min Jun said. My name sounded so sexy when he said it.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will need your address so I can take you home.¡± He said as he started up the car.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Yes, my address. 25 Hangang-daero 30-gil.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is not far from where I picked you up. Why did you want me to meet you at the 7-Eleven instead of your apartment building?¡± He asked. I knew this was going to come up eventually.


    ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what type of person you were, and I wasn¡¯t comfortable with you yet. I didn¡¯t want you to know where I lived, if we didn¡¯t click.¡± I spoke honestly.


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t click, huh? I get it.¡± He said smiling. ¡°So we clicked?¡± He asked. I became flushed. I could practically feel the blood rush to my cheeks.


    ¡°Yes we did. We had a good conversation and I hope you had a good time as well.¡± I said wondering if I might have read his reactions correctly.


    ¡°Yes, I had a good time. Thank you. Next time, I will take you dancing.¡± He said pulling out of the parking spot and we were on our way.


    ¡°Yes, you promised me.¡± I responded. ¡°So, what made you decide to join a KPop group?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh well, I love to dance and I could sing a bit, so I figured it would be good to be able to help my family financially.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Were you born and raised in Seoul?¡±


    ¡°No, I was born and raised in Cheongju-si in Chungcheong Province. A talent scout came to my school and I saw it as my way to help my family and a way to get free travel.¡± I giggled.


    ¡°Free travel?¡±


    ¡°I have always wanted to go to America and I figured, I would be able to go if I joined the group because they would have to travel to different places, with America being one of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh ok. Do you think you would have been happy if you had passed? I mean, you wouldn¡¯t really have a real moment to yourself, but you would have the money.¡±


    ¡°True. I had thought about it. I knew that if I was chosen, my life would be in control of someone else because the entertainment company has such a hectic training schedule, plus you have school and you really don¡¯t have a moment to yourself.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a lot.¡± I said looking at him. Even though he was driving, he was having a moment. His voice trailed off a bit as if he was remembering something.


    ¡°It was.¡± He finally responded. ¡° I wanted it really bad. I felt I had the look and the moves, but my voice wasn¡¯t the best. I knew I had to work hard at my voice in order to stay, but lacked the talent in singing, therefore I was cut.¡± He sounded as if his dream had ended.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± That was all I had. I didn¡¯t have anything else. He had his dream crushed because of his voice, which sounded amazing to me in the spoken word. I''m not sure about his singing voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a stable job and from time to time, I hit the dance studio that another trainee that I was with, opened up, so I still get a chance to dance.¡±


    ¡°Ah, nice. Well that¡¯s good, at least you still get to dance. Ever thought about becoming a choreographer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I did. My friend wants me to join his dance group.¡± He said smiling. He looked as if he was happy he still got a chance to dance.


    ¡°I think that you not debuting might be a better thing for you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°You would have more freedom being a choreographer. You get to create routines for people, who knows, you might even be able to create a routine for a Kpop group. You also get to travel all over the world.¡± I stated. He seemed in thought for a moment, allowing the suggestion to settle in his brain.


    ¡°That sounds good.¡± We stopped at a red light, not far from my building. He turned and looked at me and smiled. ¡°You think I could do that?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Unless you can¡¯t dance.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Well you tell me, after I show you.¡± He said matter of factly. He had a confidence that flowed through him. He wanted me to see him dance, and I wanted to see those hips in motion. He could be all that and a bag of broken chips for all I know, but I was curious to find out.


    Min Jun


    We finally pulled up to Juniper¡¯s building. I turned off the car and took the key out of the ignition. We sat in silence for a minute, enjoying the moment and not wanting it to end. I slowly looked at Juniper and she was looking at her building. She pulled my jacket off her shoulders and started folding it over her lap.


    ¡°Thank you for the jacket.¡± She said, looking at me. We had another moment. I swallowed hard, hoping to push my heart back down into my chest.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re welcome. Let me walk you to the door.¡± I said, reaching for the door.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t¡­¡± She started and I opened the door. I didn¡¯t want her to say that I didn¡¯t have to, because I wanted to. I wanted to say good night to her with hopes of seeing her again soon. I wanted to see if she wanted to see me again as well. I got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her.


    She got out slowly and handed me the jacket. I put it on and closed her door. We walked up to the door and stopped. She turned towards me and stood in front of me. I looked down at her and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you again for today. For the entire day.¡± She said, placing her hands in her front pants pockets nervously.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I glad I could make you happy.¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not common, but can I give you a hug?¡± She asked. She waited for my response, hoping I would. I was hesitant because I didn¡¯t want to seem too eager, but I wanted to hug her when we were back at the park.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I responded and pulled her close to me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and she wrapped her arms around my waist. It was a nice, warm embrace that I never wanted to let go. She smelled amazing; I wanted her scent to linger on me so I could remember her later. We parted slowly; I looked at her as she backed away.


    ¡°Go inside.¡± I managed to say.


    ¡°Ok. Um, do you mind if I call you tomorrow?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t mind. Call me whenever you want to talk.¡± I said. She smiled.


    ¡°Great.¡± She said, walking backwards towards the entrance of her building. ¡°Text me when you get home, so I know you made it safely.¡± She said.


    ¡°I will. Now go inside before you catch a cold.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ok. Good night.¡± She said looking at me at the entrance.


    ¡°Good night.¡± I said waving. She smiled and walked inside. I watched her walk to the elevator and pushed the call button. She turned around as she waited for the elevator to come. I stood near the door, trying not to trigger the auto-doors, and waved. She smiled and the elevator doors opened. She walked in and pushed her floor button and leaned to see if I was still standing there watching; I was. She waved as the doors closed. I smiled and walked back to my car. I couldn¡¯t wait until I got home.


    As soon as I pulled into the parking garage, my phone started ringing. I desperately reached for it, hoping it was Juniper. My tires squealed as I turned the corner to my parking level. I quickly looked at the phone as I backed into my space. It wasn¡¯t Juniper, it was Jin. He was probably calling to see how the dinner date went.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± I said, answering the phone.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. I needed to hear how the dinner went. I¡¯ve been tossing and turning in the bed trying to figure out what she looks like and wondering how¡¯d it go. Did it go well?¡± He asked. I smiled. Yes, it went very well I thought.


    ¡°Yes, we had a great time. She was very nice and sweet.¡± I said closing the door and walking to the elevator.


    ¡°Where did you take her?¡± I didn¡¯t know if I should tell him or not. I stopped walking and hesitated to tell him because this was a place that we were supposed to go there together. ¡°Hey Min Jun, are you there?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m getting on the elevator, sorry I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Oh, so where did you take her?¡± He asked again. I had to tell him, I couldn¡¯t just ignore him asking.


    ¡°I took her to Otsu Seiromushi.¡± I said wincing expecting him to be upset.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a nice place. That was a good place to take her.¡± He said. I could hear him munching through the phone.


    ¡°Are you eating?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just snacking on some Kobuck. So did you take a picture of her? How did she dress? What¡¯s her name?¡± He asked three entirely different questions.


    ¡°Her name is Juniper.¡± I answered finally getting off on my apartment floor.


    ¡°Like the tree?¡± He asked, still crunching on his snacks.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I had enough of the interrogation.


    ¡°Ahhh.¡± He said


    ¡°Jin, go to bed. I just made it home. I will talk to you tomorrow at work.¡±


    ¡°Ah okay. Yes, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡± I said and we both disconnected. I smiled. Jin is a good guy, he just needs a bit of a distraction. I think my next goal is to find him someone to get attached to.


    I punched in my key code and my door unlocked. Finally I was home, which meant I could text Juniper. I walked in the door, took off my shoes and placed them on the shoe rack. I slipped on my slippers and hung up my jacket. I turned lights on as I came further in and plopped down on the couch. I scrolled through my contacts and reached Juniper¡¯s number.


    [Min Jun} Hi Juniper, I made it home safely.


    [Juniper] Hi Min Jun. I¡¯m glad you made it home safely.


    [Min Jun] Are you in bed? Did I wake you?


    [Juniper] I was sitting on the bed waiting for you. I smiled. I felt special, she waited for me.


    [Min Jun] Ah, I see. I wanted to see her face, but I didn¡¯t want to call her because it was late and it might seem like a desperate move. Just as I was about to tell her good night, she threw me for a loop.


    [Juniper] Can I video chat with you? She wanted to see me. I smiled so big and made the yes gesture. I was so excited I almost called her without responding.


    [Min Jun] Sure. Is something wrong? I asked, hoping she would say there was nothing. The phone rang as she was calling to video chat. I fixed my hair and sat straight on the couch, as if she would be able to see me. I answered her call and there she was. She had a scarf wrapped around her hair and she had no makeup on, and yet she was still flawless. She was so natural and she smiled wide once my video showed.


    ¡°Hi there.¡± I smiled and waved.


    ¡°Hi.¡± She smiled shyly. She wore a pink and white pajama top with flying pigs on it. She looked as if she had done her nightly skin routine as her face still had a bit of moisture on her cheeks.


    ¡°Ready for bed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am. I¡¯m in bed now, I just wanted to say goodnight before I went to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, nice. Well I should let you get a good night¡¯s rest for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be long. Are you going to bed soon?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Very soon. I have to shower first and then I will go.¡±


    ¡°Good. You need rest too.¡± She was taking an interest in my well being. I liked that. It had been a while since someone had made me feel as if they cared for me. I sat and stared at her as she laid back on her pillow. She covered her mouth as she yawned. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve had a long day today. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°I will. Thank you again for today, for everything honestly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to send me those pictures.¡± She said yawning again. This time her yawning, made me yawn.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°See you had a long day to day as well.¡± She giggled.


    ¡°Yes I did. I will send them to you shortly. Go to bed. Sleep well and dream well.¡± I said taking control of the situation. I feel like we could talk for hours but we would just end up sleeping on the phone.


    ¡°I will. Good Night, Min Jun. Sleep tight. ¡± She obeyed my order. Could I be falling for her so soon? I¡¯ve heard of love at first sight, but it never happened to me.


    ¡°Good Night, Juniper.¡± I finally said. I didn¡¯t want to get off the phone but I didn¡¯t want her to lose sleep. She waved and disconnected the call. I stared at the phone, just looking at her name. I opened the gallery on my phone and there they were, pictures of us at the park. I must say, we make a good looking couple.


    As I slowly scrolled through each picture, I smiled just remembering the feeling I had with her being so close to me. I closed my eyes and I could still smell her. I selected all of the pictures and sent them to her. She didn¡¯t reply, which was okay, I figured she was asleep. She will get the pictures in the morning. I finally got off the couch and went to take a shower. The shower was nice and hot and relaxed me just enough for me to be ready when I exited. I closed my eyes as I washed my hair and I saw Juniper¡¯s face. I reminisced about her standing in front of me smiling. I remember her laughing and covering her mouth. She was beautiful and unique. I¡¯ve never met someone like her, which made me want to know her more. I finished my shower and dried off. After putting on my sleeping clothes, I was finally ready to sleep. I reached for my phone to place it on the wireless charger. Something urged me to check my phone one last time before laying down. I looked at my phone and she made me smile. She had sent the ¡°Flirt Face¡± emoji and ¡°Kissing Face¡± emoji. She¡¯s amazing, I thought. I didn¡¯t reply as she sent them while I was in the shower and she might be sleeping. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her. I placed my phone on the nightstand next to the bed. I snuggled in bed and she immediately popped in my head. I had no problem seeing her in my dreams, I was looking forward to it.

 Secrets Out

    Juniper


    Waking up the next morning, I was ready to face the day. I had an early start so I wanted to have enough time to do my daily routine and not rush. After my shower, I was ready to hit the pavement running. I got dressed quickly in a black and tan shirt dress, a pair of black tights, a small pair of socks and my favorite pair of Doc Martens. I grabbed my tan overcoat and grabbed my phone off the charger. As I was headed for the door, I received a text message. I grabbed my bag and out the door I went. I figured I would look at the message once I got to the bus stop. I decided that it may be a bit quicker to take the subway so I walked over to the Sinyongan subway station and caught the train. It would be a nice little ride over to my stop nearest the Sookmyung Women¡¯s University. Fortunately, my job was closest to the station. As I got on the train and found a seat to relax for a few stops. I pulled out my phone and smiled, it was a message from Min Jun.


    [Min Jun] Good Morning. I hope you have a good day today. Fighting!  He is so nice.


    [Juniper] Good Morning. Thank you. I hope you have a good day at work as well. Fighting! I responded.


    I felt that I had let my guard down around Min Jun. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not. I¡¯m not sure if he had shown me his real self. I thought about Caleb and how he was in the beginning. He was charming, sweet and considerate. He made me laugh. We had good times together. As I caught myself smiling, it quickly turned to a frown as reality set in and my mind had flashbacks of him and Naveah fucking in the shower. I closed my eyes and had to keep it together. I pulled out my digital sketchpad and started drawing. I needed to focus on something else other than that idiot. Last night, I realized that he left me 10 voicemails and about 20 text messages. First the messages started off sweet, saying that he was sorry and he just needed to talk. That didn¡¯t last long however, by the sixth message, his tone had changed. He started saying that I felt I was better than him because I wasn¡¯t responding. Dude, it¡¯s been three weeks already, get over it. This had nothing to do with me. This was all you.  By the time I had reached close to the last few messages, I had been called a Bitch, a gold digger, stuck up and entitled. I had been called slut and I had a gang of guys to choose from. Finally his last text message was so irate; he was blaming me for him having slept with my sister, stating I didn¡¯t spend quality time with him and I always left him alone.


    It was amazing to see how he thought of me, just by me not answering his phone calls and text messages and not believing his lies. I noticed my sketch was that of a Black woman with a large Afro. She was looking up, one tear flowing down her cheek and her Afro was filled with so many words to encourage her to keep moving. Around her were ¡°speech bubbles¡± with negative sayings, trying to demean and discourage the woman. However, her hair held a lot of knowledge and wisdom; so much so it overpowered the negative and even though she was hurt, she could still hold her head high. I smiled at the drawing and realized it resembled me but I think it would represent all women in deceiving relationships. My phone rang as I added my color scheme. I reached for my phone and it was my mother.


    ¡°Hello Mother. What do I owe the pleasure of this call?¡± I said nonchalantly. I had been avoiding her as well, but no matter what happens between us, she will always be my mother.


    ¡°Juniper! You answered! Oh, lawd, I was so worried.¡± She said excitedly. She sounded as if she really missed me.


    ¡°There is no need to worry Mother, I can take care of myself.¡± I responded.


    ¡°I know, I just haven¡¯t seen you or spoken to you in a long time.¡± She said.


    ¡°True. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well. I¡¯m worried about you however.¡± She responded. Here it comes, I thought. I knew it was just a matter of time for her to try to convince me to change my mind. It never fails.


    ¡°Worried, why are you worried? I told you, I¡¯m okay.¡± I said looking out the window, slightly wishing I didn''t pick up the phone. However, she is my mother. I¡¯m sure she means well, but it¡¯s just that she wants me to do as she feels to be best for me, not what I think is best for me.


    ¡°I know, but you are all alone over there and you need someone to take care of you.¡± I closed my eyes as I began to feel my face wincing in despair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to take care of me, mother. I¡¯m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.¡± I said sternly. I almost forgot I was on the train and noticed a few people staring and most likely understanding the conversation.


    ¡°Juniper, have you talked to him?¡± And there it is. She brought him up a little faster this time. She usually waits until I¡¯m pushing her off the phone to ask about Caleb.


    ¡°Mom, we are so done with this conversation. You ask me each and every time you call.¡±


    ¡°And you never answer the question. You always rush me off the phone.¡±


    ¡°Well have YOU talked to him? Have YOU talked to her?¡± I asked. She got silent. Now she didn¡¯t want to talk. I had to give her a taste of her own medicine. I was tired of talking to her, my day started off nicely and she had to try and put a little gray cloud in my skies.


    ¡°Both of them have called me. Both have apologized.¡¯ I rolled my eyes. There is no apology that will make that vision go away.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you are satisfied with that. Listen Mom, I¡¯m almost at work, so it was nice talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Juniper, are you going to talk to....¡± I hung up the phone. I feel that it will be a minute before I pick her call again. Clearly, she has some idea that I want to talk to these people. I have nothing to say. I let my actions speak louder than words. I moved to another fucking country, not a state, a country on the OTHER side of the planet. If they don¡¯t understand that, they never will.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I was so focused on the phone call that I almost missed my stop. I jumped off the train as the doors were about to close. Of course I got a few stares, but I¡¯m getting used to it. I know they are not used to seeing a Phenomenal Black woman with gorgeous, caramel brown skin and curly, natural hair walking off a train every day. Well, actually, they see one Monday thru Friday, each time I show up for work. As I hit the main street from the subway, I only had about 3 blocks to walk to my office building. Just being here for a short amount of time, I can say something about the Korean people that has truly impressed me; they almost use every possible building to have a business. They are very resourceful; they use the front and the back of the buildings. I noticed walking through the plethora of twists and turns of the streets, the little alleyways will lead you to yet another row of storefront businesses.


    I finally reached my office building, a modest and quaint little building on what seems to be a corner street. The entire building is owned by the owners of the advertising agency I work for. Raw Entertainment is displayed in English and Korean on the front of the office. It¡¯s owned by an interracial couple, Mike and Elaine Cooper. Mike is American and Elaine is Korean. They met in school in the States. Both wanted to start an advertising agency but it was hard for them to start or even get noticed. So they moved to Seoul to start their own small business. They had a few good opportunities with a few name brands to build up their portfolio. I love working with them because it¡¯s a diverse group of people who have amazing talents, each from different backgrounds.


    As I open the door, the office is filled with soft jazz playing and the staff slowly walking around the office. It¡¯s an early morning for all of us, so I know the feeling. Today we have to present the commercial we have been working on for a new drink for a major brand. We have been working hard to get our foot in the door and if we land this deal, it would open us to being a competitor in the advertising field.


    ¡°Good Morning.¡± I sing as I come in and wave.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Elaine yells from the loft office. She¡¯s always chippy in the morning. She loves her work as she should. My friend in the office, Bong Se-ra, comes over to me, smiling as usual.


    ¡°Annyeong.¡± She says as she slides over to my cubicle


    ¡°Annyeong. How are you this morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, I did not sleep well last night.¡± I knew what she was hinting at. She had called me while I was out with Min Jun and I didn¡¯t answer the call. I never not answer her call.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t, why?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my call?¡± She said abruptly. I didn¡¯t want to tell her but honestly, I did.


    ¡°I was out with someone and I didn¡¯t want to be rude.¡± I finally answered. I looked at her and her eyes got wide and froze. She had the look that she knew something was up but didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°Mwo?! Who?¡± She asked, leaning on my desk.


    ¡°This guy I met during one of my breakdowns.¡± She knew exactly what I meant. She was the only one I had confided in with my personal situation.


    ¡°How?¡± She asked. I told her the story about me going to the coffee shop and paying for his coffee in the middle of my argument with Caleb.


    ¡°Why did you answer his call? You are a glutton for punishment.¡± She said directly. That¡¯s why I love her, she tells it to me straight.


    ¡°I know. I shouldn¡¯t have, but if I hadn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have met Lee Min Jun.¡± I replied. Her eyes got big again and she covered her mouth and I could see she was smiling.


    ¡°He¡¯s Korean!¡± She said almost screaming. We both looked around as she was really loud.


    ¡°Shhhhh. Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°What does he do?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an accountant for a software company.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh nice. He has a stable job. How does he look? She asked, looking at me for a definite answer.


    ¡°He¡¯s cute. Dimples and full lips.¡± I said thinking about Min Jun. I sat back and smiled as I saw his face before me. His sexy eyes and the way he looked deep inside my soul. His smiles; especially the smile he tries to hide. I didn¡¯t realize it, until Se-ra¡¯s hand waved in front of my face, accompanied with a snap of her fingers, I had totally spaced out. I looked at her and she had this grin and look on her face. I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was grinning so hard that her eyes were smiling. A woman knows. It doesn¡¯t matter the ethnicity, or nationality, a woman knows when a woman has a ¡®thing¡¯ for a guy.


    We¡¯ve all had that feeling when we have met a guy that touches that certain something in our brains and our hearts at the same time. Women are emotional creatures therefore, when you touch us in a way that we can relate with emotionally, we tend to connect at that moment. Min Jun took care of me when I was at one of the lowest points of my life; When I was vulnerable with the cry-face displayed. I was not looking my best but he saw me as a woman who had a broken heart and he wanted to fix it. No matter what issue we may be going through at the moment, the minute a guy understands the issue and tries to fix it, especially when he wasn¡¯t the cause of it, he may have potential to be a good guy.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said. She had that look that she was up to something.


    ¡°Wait! I might not have known you for a lifetime, but I know you when you look at me like that.¡± I jolted. She started laughing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± She replied slightly. ¡°So what¡¯s his name?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Lee Min Jun.¡±


    ¡°Nice, strong name. He sounds decent. He sounds familiar to be honest.¡± She said looking as if she was trying to remember something. ¡°Why does that name sound so familiar?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I didn¡¯t think of it to be honest. I just figured we all have common names that might sound familiar.


    ¡°I got it!¡± She said and ran back to her desk. I followed hastily behind her. She jumped on her computer and pulled up some reality tv show that dealt with Idol trainees. Apparently Min Jun had appeared on this show. She pulled up his profile. It was him. I couldn¡¯t deny it. I looked at the picture and it was definitely him. ¡°Is this who you were with last night?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Um, it looks like him.¡± I said staring at the picture


    ¡°Juni!¡± She looked at me, hoping for confirmation. I wasn¡¯t going to burst her bubble.


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± I said. She squealed.


    ¡°You must tell me how you met him?¡± She asked, turning around in her chair and waiting for a response.


    ¡°After the meeting, I will tell you everything. I don¡¯t want everyone to know.¡± I said looking around as a few others were beginning to wonder what we were discussing.


    ¡°Ah, I understand. Yes, we will talk after the meeting. How about lunch, my treat.¡± Se-ra asked.


    ¡°Yes, that will be fine. Will you be able to contain yourself until then?¡± I asked, putting my hand on her head. She smiled the biggest grin.


    ¡°I will try, but I am excited to hear everything.¡± She said, I smiled and walked back to my cubicle just thinking about the monster I may have created.

 The Night Before - Part 1

    Juniper


    The rest of the day went extremely better than expected. The company we met absolutely loved the commercial and we got the job; and they loved my idea of having Se-ra in the commercial as well. She has the perfect face for acting; I¡¯ve told her since I¡¯ve met her that she has a face for television. Mike and Elaine were so happy, they decided to take us out for dinner to celebrate. Se-ra and I skipped lunch as we had a deadline to complete but I promised I would tell her at dinner. We closed up shop and headed to a local restaurant not far from the office. We all walked over, Se-ra and myself were arm in arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy that you are here. I¡¯ve always wanted an American friend.¡± She said holding me close and putting her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy too. And Se-ra, you are stuck with me for life. You are my Bestie!¡± I said. She smiled and I giggled.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, the way you two are, it seems like you have known each other since you were both little.¡± Mike said.


    ¡°It seems like that.¡± I said looking at Se-ra. ¡°You know people come into your life for a reason. Some you ¡®clique¡¯ with and some you don¡¯t. I knew as soon as I saw Se-ra, we would ¡®clique¡¯ like sisters.¡± I said. She smiled and covered her smile shyly.


    ¡°I thought the same thing, Bestie!¡± She said and we hugged in the middle of the street. We giggled as we crossed the street.


    Finally we made it to the restaurant. It was nice and cozy with tables to fit any size group. The music was nice and current and the vibe seemed good. The smell of the food made me want to get a big bowl of something before I started drinking. Tteok-bokki was my go to food. I love the spicy rice cakes and it went well with fried chicken and beer. As soon as I had the opportunity to do so I placed my order. Everyone placed an order as soon they could so we all could share in the celebration. As we were drinking and eating, Mike and Elaine stood up for a toast.


    ¡°We want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with us and helping our vision come to life. Thank you Peter, Kang Dae, Se-ra, Sun Hee and our newest member, Juniper. We owe you all a bit of gratitude. We couldn¡¯t have done this without you.¡± Mike said. We all clinked glasses and cheered. The place had gotten a bit packed since we had arrived, and I hadn¡¯t even noticed much.


    I had a few shots of Soju and I was feeling really nice. So nice, I decided to stand up and make a toast as well.


    ¡°Can I make a toast?¡± Everyone stopped and gave me their attention.


    ¡°I want to thank each one of you for welcoming me into your office family. Thank you all for being so nice to me, even though I¡¯m a newbie. You guys took me and made me feel so comfortable as if I had just come back from a long vacation. I appreciate you all and I am truly grateful.¡± They clapped and we all clinked glasses. We all started laughing and talking along with everyone else in the restaurant.


    It seemed as if after a certain time, the place turns into a nice, little hot spot with music playing with a small dance floor. It wasn¡¯t much, just enough for about 6 people to dance around and enjoy themselves. I was sitting along the side of the table with my back leaning against the wall. I looked around as much as I could focus and my gaze stopped at someone across the way. I wasn¡¯t sure if my eyes were deceiving me or not but I swore it looked like Min Jun. Se-ra and I had been throwing shots of Soju back so much, I knew I was going to regret it the next morning. I didn¡¯t care.


    I hadn¡¯t had so much fun in a while and I deserved to let loose. Then my song came on, Pink Venom by BlackPink, and I lost it. My hips started swaying and I was in the zone. With enough Soju in my system, I was the only one in the place. Se-ra started dancing with me and I had my dance partner. She stayed in rhythm with me and we made one hell of a dance duo! Our coworkers were cheering us on and we were feeling ourselves in the song, then the song switched to Beyonce¡¯s Cuff It and that just did it. We let loose and we had the place jumping. I was loving life. I was so happy that I had just turned the trajectory of my life. It was going in a direction that I thought it was supposed to go, but I found out life doesn¡¯t go the way you planned. I had to find out the hard way. I¡¯m glad I was smart enough to wake up and see it for myself. I¡¯m glad I took the bull by the horns and ran with it; all the way to Seoul, South Korea, who would have thought so. After a few songs, I had to go and sit down before I fell down and that wouldn¡¯t have been a great sight. As I sat down, Ferrari came on and I was bouncing in my seat at the table. I looked over across the room and saw the guy again. He was with a few other guys and they looked like they were having a good time.


    The guy was talking to a few of his buddies and smiling. They were talking and a few of them started looking over at our table. I was still feeling the music and I was still bouncing with the music.


    ¡°Juni!¡± Se-ra yelled. She was intoxicated too. I looked at her and smiled. She started smiling. ¡°Thank you for liking me.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re welcome. Thank you for liking me.¡± I responded. ¡°Hey Se-ra?¡± I said leaning over to her as to not include the rest of the table.


    ¡°Mwo?¡± She responded.


    ¡°Does that guy over there look like Min Jun?¡± I asked. She looked immediately over to the table. He was talking and laughing with his friends. I kept looking, waiting for him to look in my direction.


    ¡°Sesang-e! That¡¯s him!¡± She said as he turned and looked over towards our table. Our eyes met and he smiled. He held up his shot glass as if he was toasting me as I had yet another shot in my hand. He bowed his head slightly in quiet acknowledgment. One of his friends noticed he was looking over and followed his glance.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I held up my shot glass and bowed my head slightly in acknowledgment as well and we both took the drink to the head. His friend held up his shot glass and duplicated the same action, Se-ra responded and both of them took the shot.


    ¡°Oh Shit, That is him.¡± She said


    ¡°When did he get here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t paying attention. I had too many shots and I stopped paying attention to those coming in.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± That was all I could say. I would usually feel embarrassment at this point, however, I was not embarrassed at all. I had no care in the world. This moment was making me feel happy and I wasn¡¯t going to ruin it, it is what it is.


    ¡°Alright guys, we are going to leave first. Have a good night, and thank you all again.¡± Elaine and Mike said as they were getting up to leave.


    ¡°Hey, do you guys want to go somewhere else?¡± Peter said. He was the party boy of the group. He loved bar hopping. This was my first time bar hopping since I¡¯ve been here. I know I didn¡¯t want the night to end as I wanted to keep this feeling going.


    ¡°Yes, where can we go?¡± Park Sun Hee asked. I was surprised she was still here. She seemed rather reserved in the office, I guess you get a little alcohol in someone, it brings out their true selves.


    ¡°I know a place we could go.¡± That was a strange voice that came out of nowhere. We turned around and it was Min Jun¡¯s friend, standing near the table, looking at Se-ra. I looked at her and she looked like she was mesmerized.


    ¡°Where?¡± She asked. I turned and looked at her and to her, I was no longer there.


    ¡°There¡¯s a place not far from here. It¡¯s a bit bigger and it has a dance floor, if you want to dance.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Are you talking about the Juke Joint?¡± Choi Kang Dae asked. I started looking confused, it seemed like I needed to hang out with my coworkers more, they knew where the hot spots were and I was feeling rejuvenated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mr. Man said.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go.¡± By the time the plans had been confirmed, the rest of his group had come over from their table and Min Jun was standing in front of me. I stood up and faced him.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said smiling.


    ¡°Hi.¡± He replied. He smiled and put his hand on my head and gave me a little pat. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. We¡¯re celebrating. These are my coworkers. We landed on a big project.¡± I had said so fucking much; I was open book. ¡°This is Se-ra, Peter, Sun Hee, and Kang Dae.¡± I introduced my coworkers. ¡°This is Min Jun.¡± Se-ra¡¯s eyes got big as she smiled.


    ¡°Annyeong.¡± Min Jun said and slightly bowed with his hands in the prayer form.


    ¡°Annyeong.¡± Everyone said in almost complete unison.


    ¡°This is John, Taehyung, Jeong, Bae and Jin; my coworkers.¡± Everyone said hello and we gathered our things and we were on our way to another place.


    Just outside, Min Jun waited for me to come out. He was standing with Jin talking. Se-ra and I walked out the door arm in arm. We stopped in front of Min Jun and Jin. He looked at me and I wobbled a bit. Either I was totally drunk or he had that effect over me. Give or take, it could be both.


    ¡°This is Bong Se-ra, she¡¯s my bestie.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Se-ra. This is my friend and coworker, Jin. Jin, this is Juniper, the one I told you about.¡± He said, smiling at me. Jin¡¯s eyes got so big and his mouth opened. I looked at Se-ra and she was stuck just as much as Jin. Yet, Min Jun and I were standing in front of each other, totally focused on each other.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Juniper.¡± Jin finally got out his mouth.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Min Jun. I saw you on TV in the series.¡± She blurted out. I looked at her and she just closed her eyes in embarrassment. He giggled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, lowering her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I appreciate it. Thank you.¡± She looked up and smiled. Then Mr. Man appeared next to Se-ra.


    ¡°Ah Taehyung, this is Bong Se-ra.¡± Min Jun introduced Se-ra to Taehyung. Both of them stood looking shyly at each other and then greeted each other in Korean.


    We all walked over to the Juke Joint and as Mr. Man mentioned, it was bigger than the place we just left. We got a few tables nearest the dance floor; we all decided to sit together. Round after round of drinks and food just kept coming. I was having the time of my life. We laughed and talked and sang along with the music. Sun Hee, Se-ra and I decided we were going to dance a bit; at least once before we would leave the bar. As I was dancing in my moment, I stepped back and bumped into someone. I turned around to say excuse me, and it was Min Jun. He looked so sexy standing there looking deeply into my eyes. I straightened up the best I could and stared back at him. He slowly grabbed my wrist and pulled me off the dance floor and over to an empty table near the front and away from everyone. We sat next to each other; me wavering back and forth knowing good and well, I had had too much to drink.


    ¡°You look like you are having fun.¡± He said smiling.


    ¡°I am. I haven¡¯t had this much fun since I was with you.¡± I blurted out honestly. I didn¡¯t care at that point. I wanted it all to come out. I didn¡¯t want to hesitate anymore. I was so tired of being the traditional woman and being passive and waiting for the guy to make the first move.


    ¡°Good to hear. I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡± He said looking into my eyes.


    ¡°Wae?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I remember how you were when I first met you and I¡¯ve always wanted to see you smiling since then.¡± He said. I blushed. He made me feel so special. It felt as if we were the only ones in the place and the world was going slow around us.


    ¡°Yes, that fateful day. I was a mess.¡± I said. I decided to let my hair down, so I took my ponytail holder off and let my hair flow. The release of my hair from being pulled to the top of my head was a subtle release. My curly locks flowed down covering my ears and my bangs flopped in my face. I pulled my bangs back and a few pieces of hair from the sides back into a soft, loose ponytail. Min Jun looked at me and smiled with a little chuckle.


    ¡°Cute.¡± He said softly.


    ¡°So are you.¡± I responded. He didn¡¯t expect me to be direct. But I figured if he could give it, then he could take it.


    ¡°How long are you staying out today? Do you have work tomorrow?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I need to go, but I need to make sure Sun Hee and Se-ra can get home properly.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I can make sure you get home.¡± He offered. He sat staring and waiting for a reply. I felt like he wanted to take care of me. I smiled and giggled and used my finger to poke inside his dimple.


    ¡°Poke!¡± I said as I pushed his cheek. He smiled shyly and looked away. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do that since I saw your dimples. They are so cute. I¡¯m a sucker for dimples.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He said. He looked down and softly took my hand. His hand was so warm. He held my hand and looked at me. He slowly moved my hair behind my ears on each side while he held on to my hand. ¡°So cute.¡± He said softly. I blushed again.

 The Night Before - Part 2

    Min Jun


    As I sat there next to Juniper in the bar, holding her hand, I couldn¡¯t believe how beautiful she was. She was adorable. I¡¯ve heard of love at first sight, but it never happened to me or anyone I had known. I can¡¯t say that this was love, but this was definitely a strong ¡®like¡¯. I enjoyed being with her and seeing her smile. I got up this morning with her on my mind, which is why I sent her the text message. She had been on my mind all day, which made it hard for me to concentrate. I didn¡¯t expect to see her today as I figured she would be busy and we had a long night the day before. I didn¡¯t want to crowd her, I wanted to give her space, but I really didn¡¯t. I wanted to be around her all the time, but I didn¡¯t want to be a stalker.


    I was out with the guys from work when I noticed her in the restaurant. She was enjoying herself with her friends from work. They were celebrating and I didn¡¯t want to interrupt anything, therefore I sat back against the wall and just observed. She was having fun and enjoying life. She didn¡¯t seem like the same person I had met at the coffee shop. She seems to be a totally different person. I believe I had seen her at her worst, if not, it was the worst of her that I ever wanted to see. I didn¡¯t want to see her sad at all. I saw the pain in her eyes and her body language. I didn¡¯t want to move too fast, but I definitely wanted to lay claim.


    ¡°Will you take me home?¡± She asked. She had her fill of drinking. She was tired yet happy. Her alcohol tank was full and she knew her limit.


    ¡°Yes, I will. Are you ready to go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Let me go and talk to the others.¡± She said. I let go of her hand and we both walked back to where our party was, in full swing. She went over to her friends and I went over to Jin.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me she was Black!¡± Jin stated abruptly. I knew he had been holding on to that bit of news and couldn¡¯t wait until the opportunity to ask questions.


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t, does it matter?¡± I asked looking at him and then the both of us looked back at her.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. Not at all. She¡¯s cute.¡± He said satisfyingly. He approved of my choice. I knew he would.


    ¡°I agree. She¡¯s ready to go home, so I will take her. Do you need me to take you home too?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He replied.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have asked if I did. I think her friends need a ride home as well.¡± I stated. I looked over and Juni was sitting down leaning on the table. Her friend Se-ra was laughing with Taehyung. They looked as if they were having a good time. I walked over to their table and put my hand on her hand.


    ¡°Will you be able to take her home?¡± Se-ra asked. ¡°I think she needs to go and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Will you need a ride home?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t live far from here, Sun Hee and I live within walking distance. Juniper stays farther than us.¡± She said.


    ¡°I will take her home. I will take care of her.¡± I responded. Se-ra smiled in approval.


    ¡°I knew you were a good guy. Please take care of my bestie.¡± She said and turned to Juniper. ¡°Juni, Min Jun is going to take you home. He will take care of you.¡± She said. She was right. I will take care of her. ¡°Min Jun, I leave her with you in your care.¡± She said.


    ¡°Thank you. I have her.¡± I nudged her a bit and she sat up, eyes still closed. She was drunk and she needed me.


    ¡°Please take care of my friend.¡± Se-ra said again. ¡°Juniper, it¡¯s time for you to go rest. Min Jun is here for you.¡± Juniper opened her eyes slightly and smiled.


    I held her hand and she stood up. Even intoxicated, she looked beautiful. She smiled at me as I put her jacket on her shoulders and she put her arms in the sleeves. She stood with her eyes closed as I buttoned up her coat. I took her hand and led her towards the door.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving now. See you tomorrow.¡± I said and waved. Everyone was having a good time. Jin quickly got up and left with us.


    Outside we walked hand in hand down the street and Jin walked on the other side of Juniper to avoid her bumping into others. She looked around while we were walking, just humming a song. She looked over at Jin and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jin, right? Min Jun¡¯s friend?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He answered.


    ¡°How long have you known him? Is he a good guy?¡± She asked being curious. I looked at Jin as he looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a good guy. But sometimes he can be a bit too nice.¡± Jin answered. He was actually telling the truth. I can be too nice sometimes, it¡¯s a curse. It¡¯s a habit that I have tried to break because I¡¯ve been taken for granted due to being so nice.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. She may be intoxicated, but she was alert and talkative.


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of a pushover. People in the past have taken advantage of his niceness and he ends up getting hurt.¡± He said. I gave Jin a stern look, meant for him to stop talking. She turned and looked at me.


    ¡°You got your heart broken?¡± She said as she stopped walking. She looked concerned.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I gave my heart to someone and they broke it.¡± I said. She looked as if she was going to cry. I didn¡¯t want her to be sad, that was not the plan. I didn¡¯t have a plan actually but this definitely wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°You got your heart broken like me?¡± She said. I didn¡¯t tell Jin the entire story about how I met Juniper or what happened to her, but she was really in her feelings at the moment and there was no stopping her.


    ¡°Not quite like you, but similar. So I understand what you went through.¡± I responded. She stood there looking at me for a minute. Her eyes glistened a bit as if she was going to cry. She was thinking about her heartbreak, I could tell. She caught herself as she jolted back to reality. Then she took a very serious tone.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°I won¡¯t break your heart. I promise.¡± She said staring directly into my eyes. She didn¡¯t blink and I could tell she was serious. Sadly, she was far too gone to probably remember tonight, but it was nice to see her open up and be so honest about her feelings. I looked at Jin and he was frozen and shocked with his mouth open.


    ¡°I believe you. I know you wouldn¡¯t.¡± I answered honestly. I really hoped she would remember, but I know it would be a long shot for her to do so.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you happy, all the time! ¡° She yelled as she ran and danced down the street. We had to run after her as she was about to run out in traffic. I got to her just before she stepped off the curb and spun her around. There we stood, face to face; me holding her around her waist and she smiling and holding my jacket. She looked at me and gave me the biggest grin, which made me smile back at her.


    ¡°So cute.¡± She softly said and then she passed out. Her eyes closed and she collapsed in my arms. I figured she would go down, I just didn¡¯t expect her to go so soon. Jin helped me put her on my back so I could carry her and we were on our way.


    We finally made it to my car and Jin helped me place Juniper in the front seat and I buckled her in. Jin sat in the back as I jumped in and started the car. She looked so peaceful; her lips were full and her hair fell gently over her face.


    ¡°Min Jun, so are you taking her to her house or to yours?¡± He asked. That would be great for me to take her to my place, especially since she¡¯s asleep, but I don¡¯t think it would be appropriate if she woke up at my place. To be honest, I really wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I know where she lives, but I don¡¯t know what floor she lives on.¡± I said looking at him through the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Well, that answers the question, she¡¯s going home with you.¡± He said matter of factly. I had to agree. I didn¡¯t know what floor she lived on and it would be inappropriate for me to go through her things. I started the car and we were on our way.


    ¡°She mentioned that she was heartbroken. What did she mean?¡± He asked.


    ¡°When I met her, she was in a really bad mental space. She was on the phone arguing with her ex-boyfriend.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Ah, he broke her heart. How?¡± He asked.


    ¡°She caught him with her step sister.¡± I answered. I didn¡¯t want to be so honest, but I knew if I wasn¡¯t with Jin, he would continue to ask questions.


    ¡°Oh wow. So sad. She is a beautiful girl. What kind of idiot would do that?¡± He said.


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing. They had been together for a while and she came home to surprise him and she caught them together.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how it always happens? A beautiful woman tries to surprise her boyfriend, and she gets the surprise. So sad. I feel sorry for her.¡±


    ¡°I know. When I met her she was crying and she was trying to order her coffee but she wasn¡¯t paying attention and she paid for mine instead of her own.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what luck. She must have been really distraught.¡±


    ¡°She was. But she was smiling when I left her at the coffee shop.¡± I said remembering her face that day. She was just looking for an honest face and someone who could relate to her. Little did she know, I could relate to her so well.


    ¡°What does she do for work? I overheard them talking about how they landed a big contract back at the bar.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She works for an advertisement agency and she works in the design department. She¡¯s an artist. But she wants to become a game developer.¡±


    ¡°Really? She¡¯s smart and beautiful.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Watch it. She¡¯s mine.¡± I said staking my claim. I blurted it out and let it be known.


    ¡°Ah, it finally comes out. I knew you liked her. Have you told her yet?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I just met her and I don¡¯t want to scare her away.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But she sounds like she likes you too.¡± He said. He was right, she said she promised she wouldn¡¯t break my heart.


    ¡°I know. But I don¡¯t want to tell her when she¡¯s drunk. I will wait until the right time.¡± I said. Juniper moved, which made both Jin and I jump. She turned her head the opposite way, towards the window. I¡¯ll tell her when she is fully awake, I thought.


    Finally we made it to Jin''s place, which meant I wasn¡¯t¡¯ far from home either. Jin grabbed his bag and closed the door.


    ¡°So are you taking her to your place?¡± He asked as he got out of the car.


    ¡°Yeah, I have to. I don¡¯t know what floor she lives on. I¡¯ll have her sleep in my bed and I¡¯ll sleep on the couch.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. Thanks for the ride home. See you tomorrow.¡± He said walking away. He waved when he got to the door of his building.


    We traveled in silence as Juniper was still asleep by the time we arrived at my building. I pulled the car into the parking lot and shut it off. I looked at Juniper, sleeping like a baby. I didn¡¯t want to wake her because she was sleeping so well, but we couldn¡¯t stay in the car for the entire night. However, I could just stay there looking at her; watching her sleep. I grabbed my bag and went around to the passenger side door. I gently opened the door and unbuckled her seatbelt. She moved a bit and opened her eyes. She looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°Hi.¡± She said. Our faces were so close. I could kiss her if I wanted to, but I want her to be sober when I do.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Are we home?¡± She asked. I loved that she said, ¡®we¡¯. She made me blush.


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± She smiled and slowly motioned to get out of the car. I backed up a bit and held the door and her hand to help her up. She stood up, her eyes were still a bit closed.


    She walked over to me and put her head on my chest. I held her as I reached for her bag and closed the door. We started walking towards the elevator, her eyes still closed as she followed my lead. She trusted me and I was determined to take care of her and that trust. I pushed the call button for the elevator and waited patiently. She stood beside me, her head still on my chest, as I held her tightly. Her breathing was slow and steady. She was ready to fall back to sleep. The elevator came and we walked in. It was very late, so we were all alone walking throughout the parking lot and the building. In the elevator, I leaned against the back wall and she leaned gently on my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist for balance. I tightened my hold on her and she snuggled into my chest. Even though I could smell the alcohol, she still had that familiar scent from the day we went to dinner and it captivated me. I smiled; this had to be a dream I thought. If it was, I was determined not to wake up.


    Finally we arrived at the 11th floor and the doors opened. We walked down the hallway slowly and wavering a bit on her part. She dragged her bag as we walked. Finally we got to my apartment, number 1137. I put in my keycode and opened the door. She woke a bit; I would say she became subconscious. With her eyes still closed, she removed her shoes and her coat and dropped it on the floor. I quickly removed my shoes and coat and grabbed her hand. I led her to my room at the end of the hallway. I turned on the light and led her to the bed. I positioned her to sit down on the bed. With her eyes still closed, she sat down. I picked her legs up and turned her so she could place them on the bed. She moved to the pillows and pulled her legs up close to her. I placed the cover over her and she was out. I stood there for a moment, just looking at her. She was in my house. Just thinking about it made my heart flutter. I really liked that feeling. I smiled looking at her, thinking how ironic it was that she was in my house. I went to the closet and grabbed a pillow and blanket for me to use on the couch. I grabbed a pair of pajamas and a shirt to wear after my shower. I turned on a soft desk light nearest the bed. I leaned down and softly touched her hair. She was beautiful, funny and honest. I couldn¡¯t wait to learn more about her. I was excited to make her mine.

 The Morning After

    Min Jun


    The next morning, I woke early to my phone alarm. I usually get up and jog before work, but decided against it as I had Juniper over. I slowly peeped in the room to see how she was; she was still asleep on the bed. She had kicked the covers off, her gorgeous legs laying atop of the blanket. She was snoring softly, which made me like her even more. Her hair was a mess, but I didn''t mind at all. She was still beautiful to me. I gently closed the door to let her sleep a bit more and I went to go make breakfast.


    Just as the coffee finished brewing, she emerged from the bedroom. She was walking softly around in her socks and dress from last night, looking as cute as ever. She was tiptoeing around trying not to make a sound as she was looking at the decor and pictures. She didn¡¯t see me as she walked into the kitchen with her back turned. She looked at the table with breakfast and two place settings. She quickly turned around and stared.


    ¡°Good Morning.¡± I said. She was fresh faced, no makeup and hair over her head. Her curly crown topped her head perfectly.


    ¡°Oh good morning. I thought I was at Se-ra¡¯s house. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, covering her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Se-ra asked me to take care of you last night. Both of you were pretty drunk.¡± I said bringing the coffee to the table.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Last night. I didn¡¯t do or say anything bad, did I?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I smiled. I remember her telling me she would take care of my heart.


    ¡°Good.¡± She said with a sigh of relief. ¡°Wait, how did you know I would be at the bar? How did you find me?¡± She asked, sitting down at the table. I sat across from her and poured her coffee.


    ¡°I actually didn''t. My coworkers and I decided to go to the bar after work for a few drinks and you and your coworkers were already there.¡± I said. She looked at me and blushed.


    ¡°I saw you! That was you!¡± She said excitedly.


    ¡°Yes. I saw you after a few drinks. We had a shot together from across the room.¡± I started eating breakfast.


    ¡°I remember.¡± She said smiling. She sat for a moment looking at the food. ¡°You made all of this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m famished.¡±


    ¡°Eat well then.¡± I said.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Oh shit! You saw me dancing!¡± She started covering her mouth. I laughed and covered my mouth, not to embarrass her.


    ¡°You dance well honestly.¡± I replied. She closed her eyes and covered her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I promise. Now eat.¡± I said. She looked at me, blushing as she started eating from the plate in front of her. She was remembering things from last night. As we sat and ate, stealing glances of each other from across the table, I wondered how much she would remember. I hoped she would remember everything.


    Juniper started eating and she was amazed. She smiled and closed her eyes with each bite. I was happy just to see her response. She ate well as she practically devoured everything that was before her.


    ¡°It was amazing.¡± She said getting up and collecting the plates. I stood up and took them from her.


    ¡°You can go and take a shower. I placed a jogging suit for you in the bathroom. It should fit.¡± I said clearing the table.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, ¡°And thank you for taking care of me. I don¡¯t usually have that much to drink.¡± She said being a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was my pleasure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing, you know that?¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I asked and turned to face her.


    ¡°You have come to my rescue twice already. Once in the coffee shop and last night.¡± She walked slowly over to me.


    ¡°I was just in the right places at the right times.¡± I replied. I don¡¯t know if she remembered last night but I wasn¡¯t sure I should mention it.


    ¡°True. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to return the favor.¡± She said, looking directly at me. I hoped she would too. She smiled and turned to go to the bathroom.


    Shortly after Juniper took her shower, she came out dressed in the gray jogging suit I had left for her and carrying her boots in her hands. She looked cute with my clothes on. They were a little baggy in the pants but she still wore them well. She had her hair pulled to the top of her head in a puffy ponytail. She came out fresh faced and not a bit of makeup on. She was totally natural. I¡¯ve always been attracted to a woman who looks good with or without makeup. She hadn¡¯t worn a lot of makeup the times I¡¯ve seen her, but now, her face was totally naked.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, I used some of your facial products. You use the same as me, ironically. Not too many guys, well American guys, even have a daily facial regimen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Yeah, I love to take care of my skin, especially my face, it¡¯s my true asset.¡± I said jokingly.


    ¡°Well, I think everyone should take care of their skin, regardless of gender. And besides, you should take care of your face, it¡¯s cute.¡± She said blushing. She made my heart skip a beat.


    ¡°Thank you. So are you.¡± I replied. She smiled harder and I blushed harder as well.


    ¡°Um, ok, uh Thank you again for everything. I need to head out so I can get to my place before work.¡± She said, grabbing her bag and her coat.


    ¡°Do you need a ride home?¡± I asked, hoping she did.


    ¡°You¡¯ve helped me so much already. I can call a cab. Besides, you have to get to work yourself.¡±


    ¡°True. I can go to work after I drop you off at your place.¡± I stated. She didn¡¯t have a comeback and she had no reason to refuse.


    ¡°Ok. Thank you again. I really appreciate you.¡± She said.


    ¡°You can pay me back later.¡± I said. She smiled. I knew she would eventually.

 Spatial Distribution of Love

    Juniper


    Min Jun was amazing at taking care of me, yet again. For some reason, I keep having scenarios that make me the damsel in distress with him coming to rescue me. Not that I¡¯m complaining, it''s just ironic I thought. He dropped me off at my place so I could get ready for work. I quickly dressed in a pair of slacks, and a nice tank top. I added a striped pullover sweater and I was ready to go. Thank goodness I had eaten at Min Jun¡¯s place, otherwise I would be so hungry. I was still feeling the effects from last night, but I was determined not to miss a day of work after a day of drinking with coworkers. I wasn¡¯t going to be that person or the typical American to call out of work after a hard night out. By the time I made it to work, I still had about 20 minutes to spare. I figured that arriving on time would look great, especially after the late night out with the group. I walked in the office and everyone was dragging. I was glad I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt like shit, but at least I wasn¡¯t the one who didn¡¯t show up for work.


    Se-ra was at her desk squinting at her computer. Mike and Elaine were in their offices with the doors closed. I figured they were busy ironing out the details of the contract we landed. Sun Hee and Kong Dae were at their desks doing the best they could considering I left the bar way before they did. I sat down at my desk and it felt as if I had been up for hours. The breakfast Min Jun made for me was delicious and I was feeling the effects. All of us practically worked in silence the entire day, everyone completing their own personal projects. The time flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go home. Se-ra caught me at the door as I was leaving and asked if I would go out with her and Sun Hee to dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, last night really did me in. I¡¯m tired and I want to go home and get some rest.¡± I stated.


    ¡°I understand. Get some rest. It¡¯s the weekend. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡± She said. I waved and I was gone. I walked to the train station and waited for the train to arrive.


    I checked my phone and there were a few text messages from a few friends back home. I replied and wondered if I would hear from Min Jun. I didn¡¯t expect to, but I would have loved to hear from him. I smiled just thinking about him. I remembered seeing him last night at the bar, sitting across the room. He was staring at me; lord only knows how long. By the time I realized it, he had been watching me for a while. I remember dancing with Se-ra and being in the moment. I had finally let loose, and let my hair down. The train finally came into the station and I found a seat nearest to the window. As I settled down, I replied to my friends back home. The train ride home was fairly quick. I walked up the stairs from the train station and was met with a nice, cool breeze. Thank goodness it was just a short walk to my building. I walked into the building and ran into Jina Kim at the elevator.


    ¡°Hi Juniper!¡± She said excitedly. She¡¯s always happy when I see her.


    ¡°Hi Jina, how are you today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thank you. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired but I¡¯m good. I had a long day today. I had a late night last night and had to go to work this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes you need to rest. Did you have fun last night? I noticed you didn¡¯t come home last night.¡± She asked. How did she know I didn¡¯t come home last night? I thought.


    ¡°Yeah, I had a great time. I went out with my coworkers last night and we went to a few bars.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that is something you will get used to. It is customary to go out with coworkers after work.¡± She said. Finally the elevator came and we walked in. Jina pushed our floor and the doors closed. I leaned on the back wall of the elevator and closed my eyes as we traveled to the 11th floor.


    The doors opened and we both walked down the hallway to our apartments. Jina was laughing and texting with someone. She stopped at her door and continued texting. I went to my door and punched in my keycode.


    ¡°Good night Jina.¡± I said as I opened my door


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    ¡°Good night Juniper. Sleep well.¡± I went in and closed my door. I turned the light on and took off my shoes. I dropped my keys on the stand nearest the door and hung my coat on the coat rack.


    As I walked further into the apartment, I turned on the lights and went about my routine. I dropped my bag on the couch and grabbed the tv remote and turned on the tv. I needed noise in the apartment as I went to my bedroom. It was the weekend, so I was ready to relax. I hadn¡¯t picked up anything for dinner, so I decided to order take out. I quickly took my shower and dressed in my cozy pajamas for the night. I was ready to order food and have a lazy night.


    Finally my order arrived; I ordered tteokbokki and spicy yangnyeom chicken. I placed my meal on the living room table and I sat on the floor in front of the tv. I was ready to enjoy my meal. I had my phone face down on the table and I watched one of my favorite movies, ¡®While You Were Sleeping¡¯ on Netflix. As I watched the movie, I thought about Min Jun and wondered what he was doing. I hadn¡¯t heard from him all day. I felt a little lonely because I had been with him for the past two days. I had to get it together and realize two things; 1. He was not my boyfriend and 2. He had a life before he met me. Just before I chowed down, I needed something to wash my food down so I got a few beers from the fridge. Honestly I didn¡¯t need them as I had enough to drink last night, but nothing tastes better together than chicken and beer.


    Watching the movie made me miss my hometown of Chicago. I missed the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the rush hour traffic and the rattle of the ¡°L¡± trains. As I sat watching the movie, I started reminiscing about last night. I thought about the moment when Min Jun had pulled me away from the others to the front of the bar. He touched my hand and we talked softly. I remembered his face, he was so fucking handsome looking lovingly at me. I may have been intoxicated, but I was totally uninhibited. The more I thought about that night, the more I realized how open and honest I was. Ah, shit! I told this man that he was cute and that I was a sucker for dimples.  I remembered. I covered my mouth. The more I thought, the more I continued to remember. Oh Shit! I told this man I wouldn¡¯t break his heart! Fuck!  I had said way too much. I closed my eyes hard and shook my head.


    I hope the reason he didn¡¯t contact me wasn¡¯t because of me being so open. I had an amazing time with him, so much I didn¡¯t want it to end. I can still see his face right in front of me. I was so honest; I hope I didn¡¯t scare him away. I didn¡¯t want to mess this up. I had just found someone who I felt like I could be open and honest with. He wasn¡¯t like Caleb at all. I could understand what he wanted and he didn¡¯t seem like the type of guy who would be dishonest. Even though I¡¯ve only known him for just a few days, it seemed as if we had known each other for a lifetime. Min Jun just made me feel so comfortable around him that I totally let my guard down, too far down to be honest.


    It took me a while to be this comfortable around Caleb and I don¡¯t think I was this comfortable around him as I am around Min Jun. I think the fact that Min Jun saw me at one of my most vulnerable moments and he decided to take care of me instead of taking advantage of me, is what did it for me. I felt myself smiling just thinking about our first date at dinner. The way he looked at me made my heart flutter. It made me blush as I sat on the floor, thinking about the moment we had in the car. I know I felt something. It seemed like magic, that moment in time we had a spark for each other. We Zinged! I have never felt this way for anyone, especially so quick; so so quick that it seems crazy. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the couch and just stayed in the moment. I didn¡¯t feel alone anymore, he made me feel wanted. I thought we were going to kiss when we were in the car. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, just to feel the warmth from his lips to mine. I fantasized the taste of his sweet lips moving over mine. Then I suddenly remembered the pictures we took at the park; I grabbed my phone and pulled them up.


    There we were; we looked like an amazing couple. I remembered how he smelled, his cologne smelled so good, I could have eaten him alive. My heart flipped as I zoomed in on his face. He looked really happy, as if he was proud to be with me. I zoomed back out and just scanned the pictures. I got to the picture that made me realize that I had feelings for him and I wanted to acknowledge them. It was a picture of us facing each other and in each other¡¯s arms. I was holding up the ¡®finger heart¡¯ in the picture. Just his presence made me forget about Caleb. He made me feel that I was worthy of having someone love me. He made me feel that I was capable of having someone reciprocate my love for them. When we met, I was having a very hard time; I was second guessing my decisions but I didn¡¯t have the answers to prove that I was right in doing what I was doing. Min Jun made me realize that my heartbreak was temporary. Even if this doesn¡¯t work out, he made me feel alive.


    Shit, I hoped it¡¯ll work out, not that I wouldn¡¯t be devastated if it didn¡¯t, but I would fault myself. I would be a bit hurt because I feel that I allowed my heart to melt the ice that had grown around it. He melted that ice and warmed me up inside. I inhaled him so hard that he brought life back into my soul. After dealing with Caleb, I felt my soul growing cold to the point that I didn¡¯t care if I was destined to be alone. Min Jun showed me that it didn¡¯t have to be that way. I thought I was at the point of no return but our conversation at the coffee shop made me realize that I had to suck it up and keep it moving. Looking back at our pictures, I was sure I didn¡¯t want this to be a rebound. Rebounds don¡¯t get me anywhere and they don¡¯t last. I was determined to make sure this lasted. I wanted us to have a future, I just needed to play my cards just right; only thing, I didn¡¯t want to show my full hand yet, because even though Min Jun seems perfect, he may just have a spade in his pocket. I needed to be cautious because if I show my hand too soon, he may just have something to trump mine.

 Heart on Display

    Min Jun


    I decided to give Juniper a few days to recoup. She had a long night, just to turn around and go to work the very next day. As much as I wanted to talk to her or see her, I decided to leave her be. She needed the rest and I wanted her to get as much as possible. I really didn¡¯t feel like going out to the bar, as last night was enough for me, but I wanted to keep myself busy to avoid calling Juniper. I decided to head over to the dance studio. One of my school friends owned a dance studio, called Jump Station, and he said I could stop by anytime I felt the urge to get anything off my chest. I didn¡¯t have anything to release off my chest, I just had a bit of anxiety I wanted to release to avoid me contacting Juniper.


    When I walked in the door, he was there with a few other dancers, going through a routine. I watched as they danced fiercely to the music, hitting the beats in unison. They were in a groove and me along with the others in the studio were mesmerized by their dancing. Soon, I felt my body swaying a bit to the music as they were hitting their moves, I felt the passion they were giving in the routine. I hadn¡¯t danced in a few months, due to being a bit busy at work. However, I try to come over to the studio when I get a free moment. I would have gone a few days ago, but I had run into Juniper which in hindsight, I didn¡¯t mind it at all. Everyone clapped and cheered as they finished their routine because it was absolutely amazing.


    Alex walked over to me after the routine and shook my hand. He was happy to see me, as I hadn¡¯t visited in a while.


    ¡°Min Jun! Good to see you!¡± He said giving me a ¡®bro¡¯ hug.


    ¡°Hey Alex, good to see you too. I see you¡¯re still going strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I gotta keep it going, you already know how it is. You come here to join us?¡± He said motioning to the floor.


    ¡°Yeah, I wanted to get a nice workout going. You know, it¡¯s still in me, it¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± I said. I love to dance and even though I didn¡¯t make it with the group, dancing is still in me.


    ¡°Nice, come join us.¡± He said walking back to the floor.


    ¡°Let me go change first.¡± I said walking to the locker rooms. I changed quickly from my work clothes and into something more comfy; a pair of basketball shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. I hadn¡¯t been here a while but it felt good to be back.


    I walked back out to the floor and stretched a bit. I didn¡¯t want to hurt anything but I really wanted to get everything out of my body. I kept thinking about Juniper, but I didn¡¯t want to go too fast with her, she stayed on my mind. Alex smiled as I came to the floor and his girlfriend, Sara, came to give me a hug.


    ¡°Nice to see you.¡± She said, ¡°You ready to throw down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready.¡± I responded. She smiled and then nodded towards Alex. Alex smiled and nodded.


    I was confused, trying to figure what they had going on and then the music started. Armani White, Billie Eilish started playing and it was on. The music flowed through my body as I moved with the music. Each beat played within my bones as I moved flawlessly with the music. Then the music changed to Unholy with Sam Smith feat. Kim Petras. The next thing I knew I was right back in the studio with the other guys, just dancing my ass off for a space in the idol group. I danced so hard, I totally zoned out and paid no attention to the other dancers; I needed this.


    The music would put me in a trance to which I would release myself. To The Moon came on and I closed my eyes and I was in another place. I was expressing my feelings, getting it all out. I wanted Juniper to see me dance, I knew she would love to see me dance. The more I thought about her, the harder I danced. I had the music move me to the point, the trance had me entirely. When the song finally finished, I was covered in sweat and everyone was clapping. I didn¡¯t realize how hard I was dancing and didn¡¯t know that Alex and Sara had left the floor. It was all me, alone on the floor expressing myself in a way I hadn¡¯t in a while.


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    ¡°Dude!¡± Alex said coming over to me. ¡°That was awesome! Damn man, you still got it.¡± He said, patting me on the back.


    ¡°Man, you should do something with your talent. You know Alex is looking for someone to help him with the studio.¡± Sara said with Alex nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Thanks guys. I haven¡¯t felt like this in a while.¡± I said smiling. It felt great to hear the cheers and to be able to dance again.


    ¡°You should really think about becoming a choreographer.¡± Alex said. It made me think of Juniper. She had said the same thing. After being cut from the group, I really didn¡¯t think it was something I could do for a living. Even though my passion was dancing, I felt that I needed to have a stable job and become just like everyone else.


    ¡°Yeah, someone told me that before.¡± I said smiling thinking of Juniper. I wish she had been there to see me dance. I¡¯m sure she would have loved it.


    ¡°Think about it. I could always use some help.¡± Alex said. He and Sara walked away smiling. I went and sat down against the wall and watched the other dancers take the floor.


    I pulled out my phone and was about to text Juniper, but I didn¡¯t know if she was awake and I didn¡¯t know what to send her. I looked at the time; it was 10:30 pm. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her, but I wanted to send her something to let her know I was thinking about her. I sent her an emoji; a cute bear giving a heart a hug. I wrote, ¡°Good night, sleep well.¡± That was enough. I waited to see if she would read it and respond, as the music blared from the speakers. I started watching the hip hop dancers perform their routine and got lost in the moment. It wasn¡¯t until 30 minutes had passed before I realized I was waiting for a reply. I looked at my phone and the message was still unread, Juniper was probably asleep. I wanted her to respond, but I didn¡¯t want to be selfish as she needed her sleep. She¡¯ll see it in the morning, I thought. At least she would know I had thought about her.


    Sara started playing a song that I felt a rush of emotion. It was song by Fujii Kaze, Shinunoga E-Wa. I got up and let the music fill my body. My body flowed with the music; light steps hitting every beat smoothly like butter. I closed my eyes and I was dancing with Juniper. She was standing in the middle of the dance floor, the lights were out with a lone light right above her. I was dancing around her, allowing my body to speak to hers. She started to bounce along with me to the beat; I took her hand and we glided across the floor as the tempo changed.


    My heart filled as I spun around her dancing and bringing her close to me to the point I could feel her heartbeat against my chest. I was so caught up in the moment, I didn¡¯t realize that everyone was drawn to me at that very moment. When the song ended, Juniper faded into thin air and the lights were no longer dimmed. I snapped back to reality and Alex and Sara came over to me smiling.


    ¡°Dude, you really need to come back. You have a natural talent. You just told a story with that dance.¡± Alex stated.


    ¡°Yes, you spoke to me, I felt that.¡± Sara said, holding her chest. She looked as if she was about to cry. She was really moved. ¡°You were so far into the moment, it seemed as if you were dancing for someone¡¯s heart.¡± I looked at her. I smile shyly because I felt as if I was. I was dancing for Juniper¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Thank you. I really like that song. I¡¯ve heard it before, but it never had the effect it did tonight.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Were you thinking of someone?¡± Sara asked. My eyes grew large, I tried not to let it be shown, but my reaction didn¡¯t help me hide shit. I¡¯ve heard of female intuition, but it was freaking crazy when it happened right in front of me. I tried to avoid eye contact with her but she already knew.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°When you moved, your eyes were closed. Your body expressed so much emotion. You were not on this floor alone, yet physically you were. But mentally, in your mind, that person was here with you. You danced in a manner that you and that person were the only ones in this room. You don¡¯t even know what you left out here on this floor.¡± She said. She read me honestly.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because I do the same thing when I dance with Alex. Everyone else disappears and we are the only ones on the floor. It¡¯s like stepping into a different dimension where it¡¯s just us.¡± She knew exactly what I felt.


    ¡°You¡¯re good.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said smiling. ¡°You should come back and teach. And bring her with you.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate that. I¡¯ll think about it.¡± I thought about dancing full time; that would be so nice. It would definitely beat having to deal with numbers, balances and reports all day long.


    ¡°Well the offer is open. I would love to have you come and help me with the studio.¡± Alex added.


    On my drive home, I was really excited at the thought of becoming a dance instructor. Maybe Juniper was right, I thought. I wasn¡¯t supposed to join the group because I was supposed to do something else. I seriously thought the idea of dancing for a living would be out of reach, until now. I really wanted to show Juniper that I could dance. I figured she thinks that I¡¯m just some washed up trainee that didn¡¯t make it because I couldn¡¯t catch on, which was totally the opposite. I could dance, but it¡¯s the singing that I lacked at. I can honestly say I wasn¡¯t the best, however I tried my hardest, it just wasn¡¯t good enough.

 Revelation

    Min Jun


    As I pulled into the parking garage, my phone buzzed; I had received a text message. It was a bit late, I got excited hoping it was Juniper and not Jin again asking for more information about Juniper. As I turned off the car, I grabbed my phone. It was an unrecognized number. I stared at the phone trying to figure out who this could be. I looked at the message.


    [Unknown] Hi, long time. I read. My mind was so confused trying to figure out who in the hell it was. It had to be the wrong number. I decided to ignore it. I walked to the elevator and my phone buzzed again. Another text message.


    [Unknown] You forgot me already, Min Jun??? I stared at the phone so long I almost missed the elevator. This person knew exactly who I was.


    [Min Jun] Who is this? I replied. I walked onto the elevator and pushed the 11th floor button. I waited patiently for the person to respond; racking my brain trying to figure out who this was.


    [Unknown] It¡¯s been a long time, I see that you have forgotten me.???? Did Juniper get another phone? I thought.


    [Min Jun] I guess. I typed. I was tired and I didn¡¯t want to play games. I got off the elevator and walked to my door. My mind was going around in circles, trying to figure out who this was and how did they know me.


    As I entered my apartment, I started with my routine. The unknown person didn¡¯t respond as quickly as I thought they would, so I went to take a shower. The shower felt good against my skin. I closed my eyes as the water graced my face; I saw Juniper¡¯s face. I could still see her face, when she stayed over my place. She was sleeping so peacefully; I wanted to lay next to her and watch her all night. I wondered what she looked like tonight as she lay in her bed sleeping soundly. I finished my shower and picked up my phone on the way to the living room. I turned on the television and surfed a few channels before landing on the a variety show. My phone buzzed again. It was Unknown again.


    [Unknown] You were never the type to play games, I see you haven¡¯t changed much.


    [Min Jun] Then you should know you need to say who you are, otherwise don¡¯t contact me any further. I figured if this person knows me, they know exactly how I am, therefore they would need to reveal themselves otherwise I¡¯m done.


    [Unknown] Min Jun, it¡¯s Samantha. I was totally floored. My hands shook and my heart flipped. It was my ex-girlfriend, Samantha. That was the last person I thought would be contacting me. All types of feelings started to rush over me. Anger and love at the same time. I truly loved Samantha at one time. She¡¯s had a special place in my heart for a long time. I thought I was finally getting over her because we left not on the best of terms.


    We were together when I decided to try out for a new idol group. She thought I would make it because I love to dance, but I didn¡¯t have the greatest voice. She boosted me to join along with my best friend, Max. Samantha, Max and I grew up together as we all went to school together. Samantha and I started dating while in school, we had plans to go to the same University. However, when an entertainment group came to our area, Max and I decided to go and audition for a spot in a idol group. Little did we know the things we would encounter.


    The training competitions that Max and I participated in were long and time consuming. I didn¡¯t have the time to be with Samantha. She started feeling left out because at first it would be the three of us, but during the training it was Max and I. She started getting jealous, thinking I was seeing other girls, when in fact I didn¡¯t have time to see other girls. I practiced for hours upon hours, so much so I didn¡¯t have time to eat sometimes. The training was totally brutal. If I wasn¡¯t at dance practice to learn the routines, I was taking voice lessons.


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    Things got tense between Samantha and I to the point we wouldn¡¯t talk to each other for days. I didn¡¯t want to be distracted but trying to satisfy her was hard because I couldn¡¯t see her as easily as we thought. The more I would get closer to making the cut, the more our relationship would become strained. It wasn¡¯t until I got cut, that I had time to be with her. But it was too late. We couldn¡¯t salvage what we had because I wasn¡¯t the same person when I returned.


    I was devastated that I didn''t make the cut. I was withdrawn and wasn¡¯t as outgoing as I was before I auditioned. Max made the cut and I was happy for him because at least one of us made it. But it would have been nice to make it, especially if it would have allowed me to help my family financially. Things just didn¡¯t work out how I expected. Samantha didn¡¯t really understand everything that I had gone through, so she wasn¡¯t really supportive when I came back.


    She thought I was being secretive and that I had met someone, which was the reason I didn¡¯t want to hang out with her as I had before. A month or so after I was cut, Samantha broke up with me. She said I didn¡¯t love her anymore and that I was so hung up on becoming famous that I didn¡¯t show my love for her anymore; as well as I had someone else I was holding my love for. I loved her so much, I was really messed up after she broke up with me. I thought I would never recover, but day by day eventually I made it through.


    I didn¡¯t expect to have this kind of reaction to hearing from her again. I figured we might meet in a passing moment on the street, but I didn¡¯t expect her to contact me directly. I looked at the phone for a moment and wondered what she wanted. My heart started beating faster.


    Did she want to get back together? Did she need my help? Does she miss me? Slowly my fingers began typing a response.


    [Min Jun]Samantha, long time. I wrote. I wasn¡¯t sure if I needed more or not. I was curious as to why she contacted me. I hit send. I saw that she had read my message. I saw her responding.


    [Samantha] Yes, it has been a long time. I would like to catch up with you to see how you are doing. Will you be free tomorrow? She asked. That was a bit sudden. I didn¡¯t know how to respond. Part of me wanted to see her tonight and part of me didn¡¯t want to see her at all. She said she wanted to see how I was doing. I wondered how she was doing too. Just the thought of seeing her face right in front of me, made me nervous. I started thinking if I would be able to control myself in front of her. We had so much history together, that history couldn¡¯t just be replaced or forgotten. The curiosity in me got the better of me and I wanted to know more, so I responded.


    [Min Jun] Ok. Where do you want to meet? I asked, hoping she didn¡¯t want me to pick her up.


    [Samantha] Let¡¯s meet at Casa Latina. I have a taste for Latin food. Around 1 pm, sounds good? She texted. I could do that, I thought, it¡¯s not a bad place.


    [Min Jun] Ok. 1pm. See you then.


    [Samantha] I can¡¯t wait to see you again. Good Night Min Jun. She responded. What is she up to?


    [Min Jun] Good night. I sent and placed my phone on the table. I felt an ill feeling that raced through my body. Did I do the right thing? What if she wanted to get back with me? What about Juniper?


    I stood up and started pacing. What have I done? I thought. This can¡¯t be good. I didn¡¯t expect to be in this kind of position. I thought about what would happen if Juniper found out. She would think I am some time fuck boy or player, and I am the complete opposite. I started walking throughout my apartment.


    ¡°It''s just lunch. Nothing more. I¡¯ll go and see what she wants and that will be it.¡± I said out loud trying to convince myself.


    ¡°Juniper doesn¡¯t need to know just yet.¡± I said. I figured there was no need to inform Juniper of something that may not be a concern. No need to worry her, she has already been through enough.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and meet her. We catch up on the past few years like friends and then we will part ways.¡± I said to myself to make myself believe that was the plan. Little did I know, there was so much more to her plan.

 Long Time , No See

    Juniper


    Days had gone by since I had heard from Min Jun. He had sent a late night text saying ¡®Good Night, Sleep Well¡¯, but that was it. I had texted him the day after I hadn¡¯t heard from when I stayed over at his place, and his reply was short and simple.


    [Min Jun] I¡¯m doing good. Sorry, but I''ve been a bit busy with work. That was the last text he sent me about 4 days ago.


    I thought I would have at least been able to hang out with him over the weekend, but that didn¡¯t happen at all. I didn¡¯t want to get my hopes up, but it was too late. I thought things were going well between us but it seemed like he ghosted me. I really thought that he would have wanted to see me, especially since the time we spent at the bar. I may be thinking way too much into it. I had to take a step back and remember, he was not my boyfriend.


    I decided to bury myself in work and try to get him out of my mind. I figured, maybe this was the best way it needed to happen between us before it got too serious. I don¡¯t know if getting too close to him scared him, and I really didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. Se-ra kept asking me throughout the day, when I was going to see him again and I really got tired of saying that he was busy with work. It sounded kind of sad really because I didn¡¯t have any idea as to when I would see him again.


    My feelings were strong and I had to keep them under control otherwise I would lose it. We didn¡¯t have an agreement, we hadn¡¯t even gotten that far to even come up with a conclusion that we would possibly date. We simply just danced around the flirtation stage with each other.


    Day 4 and I was not feeling like dealing with a relationship again. I started thinking maybe I wasn¡¯t the one he expected me to be. I kept coming up with reasons why he didn¡¯t contact me. Reasons I believed to be no one else¡¯s fault but my own. The work week had begun and I just immersed myself in the art project for the commercial. Thank goodness it was enough work to keep me busy. Se-r had agreed to be the face of the product therefore we had to shoot the commercial.


    We decided to go to Jongmyo Plaza Park to shoot the commercial. It seemed like it would be a breeze to shoot the commercial but it wasn¡¯t easy to say the least. We had to do so many takes, I felt as if it would take forever. I could tell Se-ra was getting tired of how long it was taking but she was a trooper, she didn¡¯t complain once. I wanted to complain and I wasn¡¯t even acting.


    My phone buzzed and without looking, I answered the phone.


    ¡°Juniper.¡± I froze. It was Caleb. Shit. Fuck Me. I should have looked at the phone; I felt so dumb. I hadn¡¯t heard from him in a long time. After the conversation with my mom last week, I hadn¡¯t heard from anyone, especially him. He stopped calling me every day and switched it up to giving me a call every 3 days, and ironically today was the 3rd day.


    ¡°What is it Caleb? We have nothing to talk about.¡± I said dryly. I just wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised you answered my call. I just wanted to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°For what? There is nothing we need to discuss.¡± I said walking around in circles. Why couldn¡¯t this have been my mother? Come to think of it, this could have been her doing.


    ¡°I just want to talk to you. I know you are upset with me and you have every right to be. I just want to know how you are doing and know that you are alright.¡±


    ¡°Well Caleb, to be honest you are right, I am upset with you. You Fucked My Step Sister! What the fuck nerve do you have calling me acting as if you are fucking concerned about me? What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± I started getting loud and people started to stare.


    I was right back in the coffee shop. I don¡¯t know how but Caleb had that effect on me; he had the ability to take me from zero to 10 in 0.2 seconds flat.


    ¡°Would you calm the fuck down? I¡¯m just trying to see how you are doing? I know you left because of what I did but I wanted to say I¡¯m sorry.¡± Did he really just say he was sorry? I looked at the phone with a bewildered look. Did this motherfucker just say he was sorry like it was going to immediately fix everything?  I didn¡¯t know how to respond. I started getting heated and I realized I had completely walked away from the area of where we were set up shooting the commercial.


    ¡°What the fuck is your problem dude? Did you actually think apologizing would fix everything? Did you think I would accept your sorry ass apology and everything would be okay?¡±


    ¡°No, you are a stupid motherfucker. I was apologizing for hooking up with your sister and you can¡¯t even accept it. I know you¡¯re upset but I admitted I was wrong, can¡¯t you see that! We have so much history together, I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡± I let out a big laugh. This motherfucker was more stupid than I thought. Did he think that he still had me? Did he really say call me a motherfucker? Did he really say he didn¡¯t want to lose me?


    ¡°Are you fucking serious? Do you hear how stupid you sound?¡±


    ¡°You see, this is why we are having problems because you wanna be that type of bitch that won¡¯t accept an apology when someone is being sincere. I¡¯m the best thing that ever happened to you!¡± I took the phone away from my ear and hit the end button. I had had enough.


    Not only did he call me a Bitch, he also said he was being sincere. I wasn¡¯t about to entertain that conversation anymore with Caleb. He was a sick, twisted stupid motherfucker that I refuse to spend any of my energy or time on. My phone rang again as I walked back to the set, I just ignored the call. I couldn¡¯t believe he had the audacity, the gumption, and the gall to call me.


    When I got back to the area, they were packing up. Se-ra came over to me as she saw that I was not having a good day. I just wanted to go home and forget this day. It started off so whack, I had hoped it would get better, but I was completely wrong.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Juni, are you okay? I heard you yelling at your phone.¡± Se-ra said being concerned. I didn¡¯t want her to worry, but she was my closest friend that I had since I moved to Seoul. I didn¡¯t have anyone else for me to vent to, which made me miss home even more. I miss familiar faces and familiar things I would do. I started second guessing my decision to move.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I lied. I just couldn¡¯t even bring myself to talk about him.


    ¡°You¡¯re good? Really? You lie. You¡¯re not good, you¡¯re sad.¡± She said bluntly. That¡¯s what I liked about her, she would call me out on my shit quick.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to deal with him, but he just keeps popping back up.¡± I said looking down at my phone. He was calling again. I just declined the call and sent him to voicemail. I decided I just needed to block his number, to avoid this all together. ¡°It was my ex. He¡¯s an idiot and an asshole.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all?¡± She said, making me smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go out tonight, let¡¯s get you a drink.¡±


    ¡°Chicken and Beer?¡± I said. She knew how to cheer me up.


    ¡°Chicken, beer and Soju!¡± She responded. I think it¡¯s time for a nice pick me up. I can¡¯t allow my emotions to be in control of what I do and don¡¯t do. I¡¯ve come this far and I don¡¯t want to give up on the opportunities I have here, I needed to put them in check for real.


    Se-ra and I hit the bar and had as much chicken, beer and soju we could possibly have before we would become totally smashed. We both had to work the next day therefore we had to call it a night around the 10 pm hour. We shared a cab to make sure we both got home because I¡¯m sure I would have fallen asleep on the train.


    By the time I got home, I honestly was drunk. I couldn¡¯t believe that I made it in my apartment. I totally collapsed on the couch as I was done and didn¡¯t care at that moment. I laid on my back looking up to the ceiling. Why doesn¡¯t anyone want to love me for me? I couldn¡¯t come up with the answer.


    My phone rang and I was thinking about not answering it. I didn¡¯t want to talk to Caleb or Min Jun. I rejected the call. I¡¯ll let the voicemail pick it up. The person left a voicemail and then my phone rang back again.


    I rejected it again. I really didn¡¯t want to talk to either one of them, even though I couldn¡¯t confirm it was either of them calling. The person was very persistent because they called right back. I had to sit up and look at my phone. My heart became elated, it was my best friend, Chanel.


    ¡°Chanel!¡± I screamed as I answered the phone.


    ¡°Bitch, it¡¯s about time you picked up the motherfucking phone! I¡¯ve been calling you and you straight up have been sending me to voicemail.¡± She said. ¡°How you been honey?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been better, but I¡¯m so happy to hear your voice.¡± I said. ¡°I need you so much right now.¡±


    ¡°You been drinking Juni?¡± She said. She knows me so well.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve had a rough couple of days. And then that motherfucker called me.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, yeah, he¡¯s been calling me too trying to find out where exactly you are.¡± She said.


    I heard some voices behind her and they were not speaking English. I got quiet and stopped breathing so I could hear better. I heard a few people talking in the background.


    ¡°Bitch, where are you?¡± I asked being curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m where I¡¯m at.¡± She said being sly.


    ¡°Chanel, you know what I mean, where the fuck are you?¡± I asked her again.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Seoul.¡±


    ¡°Bitch you lying!¡± I said, getting excited.


    ¡°Bitch, I¡¯m not!¡± I heard her getting excited. I jumped up and both of us started screaming. I had to stop because I was in my apartment and I didn¡¯t want people thinking the American was getting killed.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I just landed. I¡¯m trying to get my bags now.¡± She replied


    ¡°Where you staying? Why are you here? How long are you staying?¡± A bunch of questions flew out of my mouth.


    ¡°My job sent me here, I¡¯ll be here for about a week and half. We are trying to set up a satellite office, so if things go well, I may just be here with you.¡± I damn near fainted. The stars have aligned, they sent me a guardian angel, my best friend.


    ¡°Stop lying!¡± I said.


    ¡°Nope, when they said they needed someone to come out to Korea, I was the first one to put my bid in because I couldn¡¯t let my girl stay out here alone. You know I got your back.¡± I loved this girl. We¡¯ve known each other since elementary school and we have been thick as thieves. She was the only one who knew exactly where I was, I didn¡¯t tell anyone.


    ¡°So where are you staying?¡± I asked


    ¡°Girl, they put me up in a nice ass hotel from what I can tell. It¡¯s called the Grand Mercure Ambassador Hotel.¡± My eyes bulged out my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right up the street from me!¡± I said.


    ¡°For real? Well bitch meet me over there, I¡¯m on my way!¡± She screamed. I jumped up and started to get my stuff together. I might be tore off at the moment, but my girl was in town and I didn¡¯t give a flying fuck. I needed to see her. I needed to see my sistah-girlfriend. I needed to have some familiarity near me. I was going through a lot of shit and trying to figure it out and had no one to bounce it off of. I will be tired as fuck at work tomorrow, I thought, but this will be well worth it.


    ¡°Bitch, you ain¡¯t said nothing but a word!¡± I will be there waitin¡¯ on yo ass!¡±


    ¡°Ok, well bring yo ass! I¡¯ll see you there. I got my bag and they got a car for me, so bitch, be on yo way!¡± She said and hung up.


    I knew it would be a minute for her to get to the hotel as she had to fly into Incheon International, so the drive will be about an hour or so, take a few minutes. I had time to get ready. I figured I would be staying at the hotel because I wasn''t coming back, so I could go to work from there. I decided to pack a few things, an outfit for work tomorrow, a pair of sneakers as I was not going to try to wear any heels, I would need to be very comfortable.


    After I grabbed all of my essentials, I grabbed my phone, charger and dashed out the door. I decided to walk to the hotel because it would be around a 30 minute walk from my apartment building anyway.  It would give me something to do and instead of me taking a taxi and having to wait until she arrived. I figured by the distance between her riding in a car and me walking, we should arrive around the same time, with me arriving early and her shortly after. It was a nice night out anyway and I needed to clear my head. Just the thought of seeing a familiar face got me excited, as I walked down the street, I started smiling.


    While I walked down the street, I could have sworn that I saw Min Jun driving along the way in the other direction. I wasn¡¯t sure, as he also had a woman passenger. Again, I had to get my thoughts together because I had to remind myself, I am not in a relationship with Min Jun therefore he can be with whomever he wants. I just want some clarity and confirmation that what I thought was wrong and that we are not moving forward in any kind of relationship. I shook it out of my mind and kept walking as my mind played tricks on me. I figured, if he wants to get in contact with me, he knows how.


    As I got closer to the hotel, I realized the walk took me about 45 minutes and I started getting anxious and excited all together. I couldn¡¯t wait to see my bestie. She had been there for me since we were little, and I have been there for her the same way. I stood out in front of the hotel waiting for her car to arrive and after about 20 minutes, a nice black Lexus suv drove up to the hotel. The back door opened and there she was, Chanel Jenkins, my best friend for life.


    ¡°Chanel!¡± I screamed and she looked around. A grin graced her face.


    ¡°Juni!¡± She screamed and we ran toward each other and greeted each other with an embrace. We started jumping up and down, not caring if we were being stared at. The driver was removing her luggage by the time we finished.


    ¡°Oh girl, it¡¯s so good to see you.¡± I said almost getting emotional.


    ¡°Now bitch don¡¯t you go crying on me cuz then my ass would start.¡± She said, grabbing her bag. We would always cry together, no matter what the situation, which meant we would cry at the drop of a hat. We laughed and we walked inside the hotel. Tonight was going to be a long night of us catching up.

 The Meet Up - 3 Days Ago

    Min Jun


    The day finally came for me to meet up with Samantha. I had been doing well throughout the day, but as it got closer to the time for me to meet up with her, I had so much anxiety I was second guessing on meeting up with her. I mentioned to Jin that Samantha contacted me and he was not happy and told me to be on guard. He felt that she was up to something and he wanted me to be careful. I was mindful of his advice, but I can honestly say that I was very curious about what she wanted.


    I arrived at Casa Latina around 12:30 pm figuring I would be there early to see her arrive. I picked a table located inside the restaurant. I was looking over the menu when Samantha walked in. Even though it had been a while, she looked the same. She saw me sitting at the table; I waved, she smiled and quickly walked over.


    ¡°Hi Min Jun, it¡¯s so good to see you.¡± She said as she sat down across from me.


    ¡°Hello Samantha. It¡¯s good to see you too. You look exactly the same.¡± I said. This was our first meeting since our break up.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you came. Let me get to the point. I¡¯m not sure if you know, but I have a YouTube channel and I would like to use you in a video to promote my channel.¡± She said.


    ¡°Your YouTube channel? How am I supposed to help you with that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Doing what you do best, dancing.¡± She replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all of that. I work a regular job now. I don¡¯t dance as much as you think.¡±


    ¡°But you still go by the dance studio don¡¯t you?¡± She asked. How in the fuck did she know I still go?


    ¡°Why all of a sudden do you want me to help you? I¡¯m sure you would do fine by yourself.¡±


    ¡°My channel is doing mediocre, but I know it would go viral if you were on it. Especially since you were a trainee.¡± It finally comes out. She wants to use my non-existent status to hype her channel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I replied. I didn''t feel comfortable to help her out simply because I felt she had to have some motives for just popping up all of a sudden.


    The waiter came over to the table to take our order. I picked a few items off of the menu just to satisfy my hunger and it would give me more time to see what she was really after. She placed her order as well. We used to frequent this area back in the day but it has grown so much that not a lot of the places we would go were still around so everything looked a bit brand new.


    ¡°So how have you been Min Jun? I¡¯ve missed you.¡± She said, taking a sip of her water. And here it comes, I thought. She knew how to play me like a fiddle, and just like a stupid fuck, I would just melt with her. I didn¡¯t want her to get too interested in what I have been doing, especially when it came to my interest in Juniper.


    ¡°Really.¡± I said dryly. ¡°I¡¯ve been good, thanks for asking. I¡¯m working, making a living like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve noticed. You¡¯re working in the accounting department of OncePic. How¡¯s that going?¡± She said with a sly grin.


    ¡°Have you been watching me?¡± I directly asked. How the fuck does she know this?


    ¡°I have my ways. I¡¯ve known this for quite some time. I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to approach you, but there hasn¡¯t been a way, that is, until now.¡± She said. I didn¡¯t like this at all. She¡¯s been watching me. I wonder how much does she know. Does she know about Juniper?


    ¡°I see. Well what have you really been up to?¡± I asked leaning in making it seem I¡¯m interested in extending this conversation. She smiled. She took the bait.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been traveling a bit for my channel and I was working as a buyer for a department store, but my channel has started taking off so I¡¯m trying to see if I can get to increase before I decide to do it full time. That¡¯s where you come in.¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh, I see. So you have been checking up on me.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Min Jun. Don¡¯t be mad. I haven¡¯t been stalking you much. Just recently. I wanted to know how you were doing and what you were doing. But there is one thing I haven¡¯t found out.¡± She said openly.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± I bit the hook.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t able to find out if you are seeing someone.¡±  My stomach flipped and I felt a bit of growth in my pants as she smiled a shy, little smile as she gave me her ''cute face'' look.


    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you seeing someone?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°No, not anymore. It just didn¡¯t work out.¡± She said, pretending to give me a disappointed look. It may have been a while since I¡¯ve seen her but I still remember her little antics, not much has changed.


    ¡°Oh I see. Why is that?¡± I asked, trying to take the attention off of me.


    ¡°We were going on two different paths. He wanted more of a wife to stay at home and to raise a family. That¡¯s not what I want just yet.¡± She answered. ¡°I have things I would like to accomplish.¡± She said. I bet, she has an agenda and I¡¯m not really sure of what it is, but I have a feeling she has included me in it.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s understandable. Not everyone is for everybody. You have to find your match. Someone that meshes well with you.¡± I said thinking about Juniper. I believe she meshed well with me. I looked down and smiled just thinking about her.


    ¡°We mesh well together, don¡¯t we?¡± She said and it threw me out of thought. I looked at her and she was serious.


    ¡°We did in the past. But we got to a point where we didn¡¯t anymore.¡± I said remembering when she broke up with me. I was at my lowest point. I was depressed and she kept telling me how I wasn¡¯t supporting her and how I just didn¡¯t want to live life anymore because I had gotten cut. She didn¡¯t want to try and work it out because she had it set in her mind that I was doing it all because I had met someone.


    ¡°Yes, I remember. You had gotten cut from the company.¡±


    ¡° Yes and you believed I had met someone.¡± I answered coldly.


    ¡°Mianhae, I was wrong. I know now that you didn¡¯t have someone else.¡± She said. I almost believed her but something kept saying in my mind, don¡¯t trust her.


    ¡°Why did you really look me up?¡± I wanted an honest answer, hoping I would actually get one.


    ¡°I told you, I wanted to see if you could help me with my channel.¡± She said again. I¡¯m not sure if she was being honest or not, but I couldn¡¯t figure her out.


    Our food arrived and as always, it was delicious. We had small talk while we ate, nothing serious. She talked about her parents and how they were disappointed in her because she doesn¡¯t have a ¡®real¡¯ job. Some parents want to be proud of their children to the point they can brag about what they do for a living. It¡¯s understandable, especially if they haven¡¯t had the same opportunities. I¡¯m glad my parents have always been so open and understanding in whatever I chose to do with my life, as long as I was happy. It was the total opposite for Samantha.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Her parents were successful in having a grocery store chain and they wanted their daughters to marry well. Samantha¡¯s younger sister did just that, she married a guy who was an engineer therefore she didn¡¯t have to work. She stayed home and provided for her family, which in some cases was rewarding to some women. But for Samantha, she was not that kind of woman. She loved the spotlight and she wanted to be seen and heard and she didn¡¯t want to go along with the traditional ways.


    Especially with her being the oldest, she was supposed to marry first. I made as little small talk as possible because I didn¡¯t want to give her anything to go on until I could find out what she was up to. The waiter brought over the bill and put it on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± She said taking out her credit card and placing it on the bill. ¡°I told you, my treat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s nice of you.¡± I said.


    ¡°So Min Jun, you haven¡¯t given me an answer to my question.¡± What question? I thought. Was it about me seeing someone or me helping her with her channel?


    ¡°What question is that?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Will you help me with my channel?¡± She asked again. It was the latter of the two questions in my mind.


    ¡°I don''t know. I¡¯ll think about it. I don¡¯t want to make any promises.¡± I said getting up from the table.


    ¡°Ok, but don¡¯t take too long. You know I don¡¯t like to be kept waiting.¡± She said. I took it as a threat.


    ¡°I completely understand. But just give me some time to think about it honestly.¡± I asked.


    ¡°I will. If I don¡¯t hear from you in a week, I will come around again. You know I can find you.¡± She said. I took that as a threat as well. She had done her work on finding me, not telling what she was up to.


    ¡°I see that.¡± She stood up and came closer to me. I could smell her perfume. I felt my dick move in my pants. I¡¯m not touching this one, I thought. She opened her arms to give me a hug goodbye. I leaned in and we embraced. She held me close and rubbed her hands across my back. I softly patted her back.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± She said whispering. She gave me a small kiss on my cheek before she released me and walked out the door. Heat started growing in my groin. Down buddy, this ain¡¯t what you want, trust me. She¡¯s not the same, I thought.


    I decided to head over to Jump Station. I needed to get a few feelings off of me. I felt so confused and incomplete. As soon as I stepped in the place, I was surprised, it was a bit more people there than I was used to. Sara waved at me from across the floor. I waved as Alex was dancing with a group on the floor. They were tearing it up, everyone was tuned into them. It was a group of about 5 guys and they were hitting the beats hard and Alex was right in front. I thought back in the day that he would have tried to join an Idol group, but he dared not, he couldn¡¯t hold a note. He wasn¡¯t really interested as much as Max and I, so I could understand.


    I went back to the locker room and changed my clothes and returned back out front. They still were ruling the floor. I¡¯m surprised that Alex hasn¡¯t been picked up as a choreographer, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s had prospects. He¡¯s always loved to dance, just as much as me, I think that¡¯s why we¡¯ve been friends so long. I looked around the room and saw a few people with their phones out, recording them dancing. I can just imagine clips showing up on social media. When they finally finished, they had the entire room on their feet. Everyone was cheering and screaming their support. I saw a guy walk over to Alex, he didn¡¯t look like the type of guy that would be at the studio for instruction. He looked like an executive. He walked over to Alex and shook his hand strongly and he was excited. Alex slightly bowed towards the man and they looked like they made an agreement. They walked off the floor and continued their conversation over to the side. I guess I had been staring at Alex for a while because Sara came over to join me.


    ¡°Hey you, how¡¯s it going?¡± She said standing next to me and looking around the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good. How are you?¡± I asked while still being curious as to what was going on.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks for asking.¡± She paid attention to my view and saw that I was paying attention to Alex and the guy. ¡°Oh, I see that you are wondering what is going on with Alex.¡± It was totally obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a good thing.¡± She interrupted. ¡°Alex just landed a deal with a group. He is going to choreograph a few dances for the group.¡± She said.


    ¡°Really?¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah, those guys that were just dancing with him, they were the group. They will be debuting soon and they need to have a few dances to go along with their songs.¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s nice!¡± I said.


    ¡°I know right. Now you see why we want you to come and work with us. I understand that you have other obligations with work, but we could really use the help. Who knows, you might land a deal yourself and then you can leave accounting behind.¡± She said. Sara was right, I could leave accounting behind if I landed a deal. I would be able to travel around just like I¡¯ve always wanted.


    ¡°That is so true. I would love that.¡± I said looking at the group. I thought about Max and how he would be doing the same thing, learning dance moves, trying to get the steps memorized so he could debut and not look like an idiot in front of millions of people.


    ¡°So Min Jun, are you here to put it all out on the floor again?¡± She asked, turning towards me.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve had a long, confusing day and I need to get a few things off my chest. You know how it is.¡± I said looking at her.


    She was just the right person to be with Alex. They were great for each other. Alex met Sara about a few years back, as she came from the U.S. to relocate her to study abroad. She had her red hair pinned up on top of her head. She was pretty and she matched Alex. She resembled the American actress, Alyson Hannigan from the movie, American Pie and Alex resembled the Korean actor, Park Ji-Hoon from Love Revolution and Blue Spring at a Distance. They made an amazing couple, they were truly meant for each other.


    ¡°Well you have the floor.¡± She said as she walked over to Alex and the executive.


    I went over to the playlist and chose a song to get Samantha off of my mind. I needed to shake her off as much as possible. I just needed the right song to get in the zone, so I chose How I Move by Flipp Dinero and Lil Baby. I bounced to the bass, I loved the beat. My head started bouncing and I was in the moment. I love the ¡°You say they watch how I move (yeah)¡± part. It made me think about showing Juniper how I dance. I needed to bring her to the studio so she could watch how I move, I¡¯m sure she would love it. Alex had completed his conversation with the executive and he joined me on the floor while the group stood off to the side.


    Up by Cardi came on and we took off. It¡¯s been a while since Alex and I had danced together. We had one routine and it fit well with the song, and we killed it. We had the studio hyped, people were screaming and of course the phones were in the air. I wonder how Samantha was going to feel if she saw me on YouTube shorts dancing in the studio. I didn¡¯t care to be honest, I was just out there to have a moment to myself and to shake her off.


    Sara played Yungen with Rodd Wave and Jack Harlow, which was perfect to celebrate the project that Alex just landed. I was so happy for him, he truly deserved it, he has worked really hard to get where he is now. Just dancing with him brought back so many memories. I would love to do this for a living, I can just imagine dancing on stage in front of a bunch of people, just showing my true skills; that feeling just resonated throughout my entire body and I left it all out there on the floor. When we finished, the place lit up. We laughed because we totally snapped.


    ¡°Dude, you know we need you right?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard, congrats man.¡±


    ¡°You know you love this man. I need you and you need this.¡± Alex stated, he was right, I really needed that. It was my outlet, especially since Samantha has just popped back up.


    ¡°I feel you man. I really do. I¡¯ll come back as much as I can, I promise.¡± I said, I knew it would be beneficial for me and them.


    ¡°Cool, thanks man. I know that you have an accounting job, but just know, you won¡¯t be staying there too much longer.¡± He stated. I figured he was right. I just needed to put in more of an effort to keep dancing as much as I could.


    ¡°Excuse me Oppa?¡± A voice spoke behind me. I turned around and it was a young girl who had her phone out with my picture on it. ¡°Are you Lee Min Jun from Superstars 101?¡± She had mentioned the training camp show I participated in. I didn¡¯t expect too many people to recognize me. I would get a few here and there but I thought it had just faded along with my career in music.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I responded honestly. She squealed. I could tell she was excited to see me.


    ¡°Can I take a picture with you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to turn her down. I posed as she took a selfie. I can only imagine how fast that will post. It doesn¡¯t bother me, I was used to it back in the day, it¡¯s part of being part of the entertainment business. The young girl walked off and joined her friends who stood over to the side.


    ¡°I see you still got it. I can just imagine how many people will show up here once you become a regular.¡± Alex joked.


    ¡°Dude.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m gonna ride right along with you as long as I can. I see the benefits of having you here.¡± He said. I figured if I could help Alex and Sara by showing up every now and then, I would, besides, I was getting something out of it too.

 Kaleidoscope

    Juniper


    Chanel and I had a fantastic night; the night I went over to the hotel. We stayed up talking shit and talking about everything. I spilled the tea about Min Jun and the shit I was going through with Caleb. She told me that Caleb had tried to get in touch with her to get an exact location of where I was, there was no telling what his ass was up to. She informed me that she didn¡¯t tell him a damn thing, I knew that was my girl. She also gave me advice on how to keep my feelings in check when it came to Min Jun. She understood what I was going through and why, but she did tell me I was overthinking the situation and I really needed to let loose and have fun which helped me a lot. The rest of the week flew by, which I was happy about because it gave me time to actually spend with my girl for the weekend. It was finally Friday and I was ready to kick it like we used to back in The Chi.


    Chanel was talking about going to a dance studio that I had never heard of before. She said one of her connections back home told her that she could go and meet new people and it would give her the opportunity to find other places to go. Chanel and I had been in a dance troupe back in our school days and we loved to dance. We would perform for school events and we would always bring down the house. Of course it was more of us in the group back then but Chanel and I were the leaders of the group so we ran the shit.


    She said she found a dance studio that had evening classes that taught hip hop and contemporary dance and she wanted to ¡°warm up¡± before we hit the clubs. She knew damn well that when we hit the clubs, there wasn¡¯t going to be much dancing going on, it would be more drinking and swaying. She figured she would get her dance on and stretch out her muscles, or so she thought. I really knew what was up, Chanel was trying to find a fuck boy and she didn¡¯t care where she found them. It really didn¡¯t matter to me because I just wanted to get out of the house because to me, it had been a long fucking week.


    Chanel and I packed workout attire and headed to a dance studio called JumpStation Dance Studio which was about a 25 minute train ride from her hotel on a good day. We hopped the train to Hongik University and took about an 8 min walk to the studio. The night was cool and crisp but we were from Chicago, so this weather was nothing to us. Besides, we had a few shots of Soju before going to loosen us up, but not too much because Soju does not play. I was excited to see what the class was all about and to see other people enjoying themselves as well. When we walked up to the studio there were a few more people there than we had anticipated. Chanel said she had called in advance and spoke with a person named Sara who said we filled the last two spots. Apparently, this class was well known and in its popularity, it had drawn some attention to the classes. Chanel has said that Sara mentioned that some fans were there too because some of the instructors were well known dancers.


    We checked in and headed to the locker rooms. The place was packed with people, giggling teenage girls along with a few young women who were there with signage. I saw one holding a sign that read ¡®Min Jun¡¯. It caught me by surprise because I knew he was a dancer but I just pushed it out of my head that it was the same person. I figured, just like in America, South Koreans shared similar names as well. I can¡¯t even tell you how many people I have met with Chanel¡¯s name. I blew it off and we headed to the huge open studio that had a gang of people in it. There were guys and girls of all ages, but a good majority of spectators. Sara came over to greet us as we walked in.


    ¡°Hi there, you must be Chanel?¡± She said pointing to me. I smiled, shook my head and pointed to Chanel.


    ¡°Hi, that¡¯s me.¡± Chanel said, holding out her hand. Sara grabbed it and shook it with both hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Nice to meet you. Americans, right?¡± She looked relieved to have a fellow comrade in the midst.


    ¡°Yup that¡¯s us. We¡¯re originally from Chicago.¡± Chanel said. ¡°This is my bestie, Juniper.¡± She pointed in my direction.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Juniper.¡± She looked at me and stared a bit like I looked familiar. ¡°Have we met before?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, but I do have that kind of face, so I get that alot.¡± I answered. No I didn¡¯t, but I didn¡¯t want her to feel uncomfortable. Sara reminded me of the girl from American Pie, the girl that went to band camp. She looked cool and relaxed as hell when she found out that we were American.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. You do have a familiar looking face though. Well I¡¯m glad you are here. I was told that two from Chicago would be coming. I¡¯m originally from Miami, by way of Atlanta.¡± She said proudly.


    ¡°Oh shit, ATL in the house.¡± Chanel¡¯s ghetto ass voice came out. I knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it under wraps. I just let her do her thing. I wasn¡¯t about to trip at all, I was taking her advice, and letting the shit go.


    ¡°Yes, well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Now I was told that you two have a dance background, is that correct?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, we do. It¡¯s been a while but it¡¯s still there.¡± I said. We all laughed.


    ¡°Good to hear. I just wanted to know what level everyone is, that way we know how to incorporate everyone in the class.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can pick up on the steps fairly quickly.¡± Chanel said as she started stretching.


    ¡°Awesome. So you can grab a corner until the class starts. We should start in a few minutes, we have a few of our male instructors running a bit late but they will be joining us. We usually start out with a few steps to see where everyone can pick up and go from there. The goal is just to have fun. We will be doing hip hop and contemporary and freeform, which basically if you find your groove alone or with someone, you just go with it. The key here is FUN.¡± She spelled out fun. I liked her personality. She looked like she was full of fun. She left to go and meet other participants; Chanel and I walked over to a section of the floor nearest the corner to stretch and to watch people.


    ¡°Girl, where in the fuck did you just bring me?¡± I asked as I sat on the floor stretching my legs.


    ¡°Girl, one of my traveling buddies hooked me up on this class. She came here one day when they were teaching pole dancing and she said it was amazing. They pretty much teach everything from traditional to hip hop to freeform. Girl, I¡¯m just here to have some fucking fun after the week I¡¯ve had. I need to catch up and get my days right, I¡¯ve had jet lag like all week and then to find out they might extend my stay too, I need to fucking relax. So here we are bitch.¡± I just laughed and rolled my eyes.


    As class started to get under way, Chanel and I were in the corner practicing an old routine and we laughed when we remembered the steps. A few people had started watching us as we were feeling the moment, we just needed the right music to go along with the steps. Sara called the participants to the floor and we got in formation. She said we would start off learning a dance routine to get us to loosen up our bodies. As we were learning the steps, a few of the ¡®fans¡¯ started screaming and giggling as a few of the male instructors ran in through the door. I only saw them passing as the entrance of the door was behind us and the locker rooms were in front of us off to the right. I caught on to the dance steps pretty quickly. Chanel was in the moment, she had caught on and was adding her own twist to it. We had to add our own flavor to the dance, so we improvised a bit but still kept on beat. The music was loud and bumping. The atmosphere was electric. The group of dancers were really enjoying themselves and the spectators were clapping along with the music. It felt like we were performers and not just attending a dance class; the way I was feeling made me want to come back to this class again.


    Everyone was enjoying themselves and getting excited. I figured the male instructors had come back from the lockers as it got loud in the studio. Signs were waving, most of them in Korean. I didn¡¯t pay attention because I was just in a flow that allowed me to escape my issues, if only for a moment. All the dancers were hitting their points and we were jamming. Sara¡¯s partner had joined her at the front of the group and he had some moves! He was moving his body so fluidly, I just knew the girls were screaming about him. I started watching him and Sara dance together; they were simply connected. For anyone who paid attention to them as they danced, would notice they were into each other and everyone else would just disappear. They were in love and you could see it. I wanted that, I knew what that felt like. I knew that look. I felt that Min Jun and I had had that look when we went out that night, because we would just stare quietly at each other as if we were looking into each other¡¯s soul. I smiled as I watched them dance.


    After we finally finished the dance, everyone started clapping and cheering. I was exhilarated. I felt as though I had let a lot of anxiety and stress out and left it out on the dance floor. Sara said we would do a freeform dance to let everyone catch their breath. Some people stayed on the floor, some people left the area as they played a few random songs so people would just dance together or alone. Chanel and I walked back over to our little corner to dry off and to grab some water. I was hot and thirsty. I started to glance around the room and noticed it was filled with very cute guys that had entered the realm. As I glanced around the room slowly, someone caught my eye but I just thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I could have sworn I saw Min Jun in the corner talking to Sara and her guy. But when I stood up to get a better look, a group of people ran to the floor to dance to Armani White¡¯s, Billie Eilish, so I lost sight of him. I wasn¡¯t about to go around and look for him, if it was him or not, I wasn¡¯t there for him. I figured if it was, I was about to put everything out on the floor and let him see the type of person he was dealing with. I thought if it was Min Jun, he would be texting me tonight for sure.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    We were sitting there and then the music changed and it sang to my heart. As soon as it came on, Chanel looked directly at me. I knew the look she was giving me, I read her like a book. This was the song for us to practice our routine. Of course with it being a popular song, everyone wanted to join in on the song. With all the TikToks out there using the song, there was no way it wouldn¡¯t draw a crowd. Only thing is, the popular dance was only a small part of the song, we had an entire routine that would go along with it.


    ¡°Come girl, you know this is us. Let¡¯s do this. Let¡¯s show them how we do!¡± Chanel said as she threw down her towel and walked to the floor with me in tow. Beyonce was flowing through the speakers as Cuff It came on and we walked directly to the middle of the floor. By the time we hit the beat, everyone else was waiting for the chorus, but we already had an interesting routine. The other dancers only knew the part that everyone had recorded, but Chanel and I had the floor. Of course, we knew the popular dance moves as well and we incorporated them into our routine but when everyone stopped dancing we were still hitting it. We threw a bit of Chicago Steppin ''moves into the mix. We hit a few hip bumps and we had the floor. People were dancing and cheering with us as we kept the routine going. They would join in on the parts they knew, but we held the floor. It felt as if we were back in high school at a school event. Chanel and I knew how to entertain. We held the groove and I was feeling the song so much, I closed my eyes and it was just me and Chanel. I paid attention to her moves and we were in sync so much, you would think we were professional dancers.


    Chanel and I started having fun with the song and danced a few moves that others didn¡¯t expect and we were hitting it hard, as our bodies were moving to the beat in ways that were indescribable. We strutted our stuff and we enjoyed dancing. We could hear the cheers and loved every minute of it. We loved when everyone would join in on the moves too as it felt as if we had our dance group back out there on the dance floor. Finally the song ended and we received cheers and applause. Chanel and I clapped hands toward everyone else who had joined us. As I turned to see Sara walking towards us clapping and smiling, my eyes locked on someone. It was Min Jun, and his eyes were locked on me. I felt a rush of heat between my legs and my heart skipped a beat. He had been there to see the entire routine. He kept his gaze with me from across the room. I was stunned at first but I had to keep my composure. I slowed my breathing as Sara approached.


    ¡°Oh my goodness girls, that was amazing!¡± Sara said excitedly.


    ¡°Thanks, but that was nothing. We were just having fun.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, some of that was so improvised, we took a few steps from an old routine we did back in school that just worked along with the song. Juniper was just saying if Beyonce had played, then we knew it would work with the routine.¡± Chanel stated.


    ¡°Well you girls did the damn thang!¡± Sara said. Chanel and I laughed along with her. ¡°And you guys don¡¯t do this professionally?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m a digital artist and she is a fashion designer.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Sara¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Well let me tell you, if you ever needed to change up your careers, you both definitely have a solid path to follow.¡± She replied.


    I dared not to look back over to the side to see if he was still looking, I just had a feeling he was. I could feel his stare in my soul that created the type of feeling that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I didn¡¯t want to make eye contact with him again just yet, as we hadn¡¯t spoken since he dropped me off at work the day after I stayed at his place. I didn¡¯t want it to be awkward, so I just went along with the flow. Sara called people back to the floor as they were about to teach another routine, however this one involved couples. Fuck! I just had a feeling that a couples dance would be involved tonight. I think I would have been more equipped, had I not seen him standing off to the side; having to dance with someone who I didn¡¯t know would have been beneficial, but I had an inkling that someone had already paired us up as a couple.


    Chanel came over to me when Sara started pairing people into couples. I stood with my back to Min Jun. He was talking to Sara just before she came running over. I just had the feeling she was going to pair us up together. Chanel was getting excited because she was about to get paired up with a guy. Sara was calling the male instructor over to the person whom she had chosen to dance with them. She came over to Chanel and called over a guy named Jong-dae.


    ¡°Jong-dae, this is Chanel. I think you two would make an amazing pair.¡± Sara said. Jong-dae was slightly taller than Chanel and he was a cutie pie. Chanel smiled as they said hello to each other. I was next and my heartbeat became faster as she stood in front of me. She looked at me and smiled.


    ¡°I knew you looked familiar, I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. But now I remember you.¡± She said as she held my hand gently. I was so fucking confused, I know I had never met her before. I looked at her bewildered and she giggled. She motioned for someone to come over. A lump settled in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. ¡°Min Jun would like to dance with you and I think you will make a beautiful pair.¡± She said as she gave my hand to Min Jun and walked away. I became so shy as I turned towards him.


    ¡°Hi Juniper.¡± He said. I didn¡¯t want to look at him, because I knew if I did, I would fall head over heels again for him. He had some control over me and I didn¡¯t understand why I gave him so much power. I took a slow breath and gained my composure. I slowly looked up to his eyes; my eyes glanced against his basketball shorts, and his sleeveless shirt, up to his face. I looked at him and started to talk to myself inside my head. Keep your shit together Juni. Keep your cool girl, we got this. My eyes rested within his and he looked longingly back at me.


    ¡°Hi Min Jun,¡± I smiled, still keeping my self control. ¡°How have you been?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy, but good. You look good.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Thanks, you do too. First time I¡¯m seeing you in workout gear.¡± I said looking at his attire. It looked as if he could make anything he wore look good. I could see the muscle definition in his arms. He stood before me with a certain type of swagger.


    ¡°Thanks, the same goes for you. But I think you can make anything look good.¡± He quipped. I looked at him quickly. He blushed and smiled. ¡°Still cute.¡± He responded. He made me smile. I couldn¡¯t help it. We had this thing that just made us feel like two prepubescent children who were just liking each other and we were a bit shy to mention it but it was so obvious.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I finally said. I wanted a hug but I wasn¡¯t sure it was appropriate to ask.


    ¡°Can I have a hug?¡± He asked. My heart dropped and my knees went weak. Did he just read my mind? He held his arms open, his left hand still holding my right hand.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I said. He gently pulled me towards him and I fell into his embrace. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent. He didn¡¯t stink, but he smelled ¡®manly¡¯. It was a mixture of sweat, cologne and his antiperspirant. He held me tight and leaned down, holding his head close to mine.


    ¡°It¡¯s good seeing you. I missed you.¡± He whispered. I pulled him closer to me, grabbing his shirt.


    ¡°Me too.¡± I replied. I admitted that I missed him. I didn¡¯t have a problem with that. I wanted to acknowledge my feelings and be as open and honest with myself as I could. I still had control, acknowledging my feelings also allowed me to acknowledge his. He told me that he missed me first. He made himself vulnerable without knowing if I was going to reciprocate them or not. We slowly let each other go, stepping away from each other yet still gazing into each other¡¯s soul and holding hands.


    Sara was smiling as she was walking back up to the front of the class. Her guy had joined her and we were about to practice the steps with our partners. I looked over at Chanel and she and Jong-dae were making their own connection. She was feeling him and he had the moves that drew her in. He made her smile, I could tell she was really having a good time. I was glad I came out with her. Min Jun and I just fell in sync with each other. We picked up the dance moves quickly and we were fluid together. He could really dance; it felt as if we had danced with each other for a lifetime. I loved the fact that we were the type of dancers that would include the emotions in our movements, therefore our facial expressions went along with the words of the song. Even though we didn¡¯t know what song Sara had chosen for the dance, it really didn¡¯t matter because the steps we were being taught felt as if it was going to be sensual. It was seductive yet inviting. It was like a ¡®tease¡¯ dance. Our movements made the other person want to know more and want to explore more, but there was a line that was yet to be crossed.


    After everyone had the steps down, the music started. We danced to Dua Lipa, One Kiss. When the song started, I agreed it was a perfect dance to go along with the song. I loved the song and it went beautifully with the dance. As we danced, Min Jun held my waist as I leaned against him. As I grinded my ass against him, I played the role well. Either he was well hung or I felt his growth against my backside. He held onto me as if he had no plans of letting me go. It was an experience that I would like to feel again. He turned me around and pulled me to him; his eyes never leaving mine. I just knew he could hear my heartbeat or feel it pounding out my chest. This man knew exactly what to do, he played the role too well. I felt myself falling. I agreed with Dua Lipa, One Kiss is all it would take to make him fall in love with me, I thought. The dance was amazing, so much so, I didn¡¯t want it to end. When we finished everyone was cheering as that was one of the best dances of the night. Chanel came over to me with her partner after the dance ended.


    ¡°Hey now girl, y¡¯all was killing it. Shit, I almost lost my steps trying to look at y¡¯all.¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I said breathing hard and grabbing my water bottle.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Min Jun said as he left to walk over to the other side of the room.


    ¡°Juniper, I want you to meet my partner, Jong-dae.¡± Chanel said as she introduced her partner.


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I said as I bowed a bit. He did the same in return. He excused himself to the other side of the room.


    ¡°So who is the guy?¡± She said, looking back across the room in Min Jun¡¯s direction.


    ¡°That¡¯s the guy I told you about. His name is Min Jun.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh shit! That motherfucker is FINE as hell! How did he know you were here?¡± She stated and asked all in one breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think he knows the people who own this studio. I noticed him watching me after our freeform dance.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well damn, he didn¡¯t waste time did he?¡± She stated. Min Jun had his water and towel as he walked back over to our little corner. Sara cheered everyone for doing such a good job and said we had another moment of freeform before our last dance. I figured I would sit this one out to catch my breath before our last dance. It seemed as if tonight was going to be a night full of unexpected, miraculous events.

 Laying It All Out

    Min Jun


    I didn¡¯t expect to see Juniper at the dance studio, and yet here she was. I had given her a few days away from me while I tried to get my head together. I didn¡¯t want to lead her on, therefore I didn¡¯t want to be confused when it came down between Juniper and Samantha. I had been missing in action from Juniper to figure out what my heart already knew, I just needed to get my mind on board. Even though Samantha and I had history and things hadn¡¯t gone the way it did in the past, I didn¡¯t want to mess up something that I felt would be great with Juniper. I never responded back to Samantha about helping her channel, so I figured she would get the hint if I didn¡¯t contact her back. I had to regroup in my head the pros and cons of it all to be honest with myself.


    Seeing Juniper dance at the studio solidified my feelings for her. I wanted to be with her and I was willing to lay it out on the line and let her know. I wanted to confess my feelings to her immediately after I had seen her in the studio, but I wasn¡¯t sure how it would be received. I didn¡¯t want to be rejected, but I didn¡¯t want to continue feeling like this without her knowing. I just felt she was perfect for me. Even though we hadn¡¯t been around each other, I was willing to find out more about her, I just couldn¡¯t get her out of my mind. I couldn¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t think about her when I did almost every waking moment. From the moment I saw her in the coffee shop, seeing her cry, I wanted to protect her. I didn¡¯t want to see her cry and I wanted to be the one to care for her. I wanted to be the one to show how she deserved to be loved and to show her how love really feels. I never had this feeling for someone so soon, this was all new to me but I couldn¡¯t help it. I knew it sounded crazy but I couldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass because I would always wonder what would happen if I didn¡¯t step up and let her know how I felt. I would go crazy if I didn¡¯t and I knew she would be worth it.


    Just thinking about the time when we were apart, I was trying to figure out what my heart needed. I didn¡¯t want to go through the same thing again with Samantha. I kept remembering the moment she let me go and I had to deal with my emotions alone. I remember the moment she left me when I really needed someone. Something in my gut made me feel that Juniper wouldn¡¯t be that type of person. Just remembering how she was dealing with her feelings she was having about her ex-boyfriend. She was in love with this guy; she had given this guy everything and he hurt her and didn¡¯t take her feelings into consideration. I knew how that felt, she and I shared the same pain. I felt it in my gut that she would love me just as much as I would love her, unconditionally.


    During the last freeform, I was off to the side of the studio talking to Sara and Alex when I noticed her. I had already spilled the beans on Juniper to Sara and Alex because I needed some clarity and some sound advice. I had informed them about the night we had at the park and the night we had at the bar. I told them I was so excited to see her, but then I told them about how Samantha just popped up out of the blue. Both Sara and Alex told me that I needed to be careful about Samantha; honestly they were trying to understand why I was giving her any of my time after how she had treated me in the past. I told them how I had more history with Samantha than feelings, since it had been so long. Even though I figured she just wants my friendship, both warned me to be cautious. With that in mind, I had made my decision to step back from Samantha to let go of that part of my past in order for me to move forward to a brighter future.


    When Sara asked me if I wanted her to pair with Juniper, I said most definitely and jumped at the opportunity. I watched Juniper move with the music and she flowed well in her own zone. Sara said she noticed her earlier when she met them as they arrived. I was a bit late arriving so I didn¡¯t notice her when I came in. It was the freeform dance that allowed me to pay attention to her from a distance. She looked like she was having fun with her friend. They owned the floor but welcomed the others. It made me remember the time I saw her dance at the restaurant when she was out with those from her office. She commits herself to the music and most likely commits herself to everything she does.


    After her freeform dance, Juniper saw me staring at her from across the room. I wanted her to see me. I wanted her to notice me. She froze for a minute and then turned away. I wasn¡¯t sure of how to read her reaction, but I didn¡¯t care, I needed to tell her. I needed to confess, even if she didn¡¯t want to see me, I just needed to take the chance to get it out in the open. I didn¡¯t want to hold back anything, because I felt that I had taken too much time to dance around the subject, so to speak. As Sara motioned me to come over and be the partner for Juniper, I held my breath. This is the moment, I thought. It was do or die.


    Sara put Juniper¡¯s hand in mine and walked away. Juniper didn¡¯t flinch and she didn¡¯t retract her hand. In fact, she held my hand gently caressing my fingers as we touched. I asked her for a hug, and she acknowledged. I saw this as my chance to let her know how I felt. I told her that I missed her, hoping she missed me too. My heart melted when she told me she missed me too! She probably heard my heartbeat through my chest. I could smell her scent as I held her, my arms wrapped around the small of her back. I didn¡¯t want to let her go, I wanted to keep her body close to mind and feel the warmth that grew between us. Off in the distance, I could hear some of the spectators swoon as we embraced, which made me pull her closer.


    I knew this was my opportunity to confess my feelings towards her. As we danced, we were in our moment, it was just us moving to the beat. It was magical, but I had something else up my sleeve. I wanted to put it out there for her to see everything that I wanted her to see. I wanted her to understand completely that I wanted her to be with me and I was willing to be as vulnerable as I needed to be.


    ¡°That was nice dancing with you.¡± I said as I returned to their little corner of the studio


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    ¡°Yeah that was fun.¡± Juniper said, turning towards me. ¡°Min Jun, I would like to introduce you to my best friend, Chanel. Chanel, this is Min Jun.¡± She said.


    ¡°Hello, nice to meet you.¡± I said with a small gesture bow.


    ¡°Hello Min Jun. Nice to meet you too. I¡¯ve heard some things about you.¡± She said.


    ¡°Good things I hope.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Yes, good things and good possibilities.¡± She said looking at Juniper. I smiled and blushed a bit. ¡°Aww, he¡¯s blushing Juni!¡± She responded.


    ¡°Stop teasing him, Chanel.¡± Juniper saved me as she nudged her friend. I was blushing because it was nice just hearing she had spoken about me to someone.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least I know she talks about me.¡± I managed to say.


    ¡°Oh yeah, she does. It seems as though you have left a lasting impression on my friend.¡± Chanel confessed. Interesting, I thought. I smiled and looked at Juniper, I was flattered she was thinking of me about as much as I was thinking about her.


    ¡°So what are your plans after this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We planned to go out and kick in big time. I¡¯ve had a long week here and this has put me in the mood for going club hopping and having a few drinks. Do you want to come with us? You could show us some places to go maybe?¡± Chanel asked.


    ¡°Sure, if Juniper doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± She said, smiling at me. Her smile gave me the acceptance I needed. It felt as if I was on the road to happiness.


    Sara had started the song I requested for freeform dance and the dance floor cleared. Some participants were still tired from the last dance and others were just enjoying the moment and allowing others to take the spotlight.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± I said as I held Juniper¡¯s hand. She gave her water bottle to Chanel and followed my lead as I pulled her towards the dance floor.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re dancing together; just us. We are going to use the steps from the last dance. They work well with this song.¡± I said. She looked at me and she smiled a bit.


    ¡°You planned this?¡± She asked. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was upset or shocked.


    ¡°I planned to dance with you on this song, I just didn¡¯t know when or if it would be played.¡± I lied. I knew exactly when it would be played.


    ¡°I see you are full of surprises today.¡± She said as she poked me. I looked around and there were still a few fans still here, screaming and cheering as we took the floor.


    ¡°More than you know.¡± I replied. The lights dimmed a bit around the studio and a green spotlight glowed above us.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± She asked. She looked at me trying to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± I said. I looked deep into her eyes and didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°I will.¡± She replied and my heart skipped a beat. The music got louder and filled the room as The Weeknd started singing, Die For You.


    We started dancing the last routine that went so well with the beat of the song. As we moved together, we fell deep into the song and each other. Juniper closed her eyes and let the music direct her body. She was in sync with me the entire time. As we kept our gaze on each other, everyone disappeared. It was just us in the studio dancing for each other. I wanted her to hear not only the music but I also wanted her to listen to the words. I started singing along with the words as we meditated on the song. We committed our bodies to each other and it was total magic. It was just us and we were infatuated with each other. We were so deep inside the moment as I felt her body lay against mine; her touch against my skin burned hot as I pulled her closer to me. Our faces were so close as we looked at each other, noses touching; I could feel her breath against my lips. She bit her bottom lip as she rolled her body against me. I began to grow a bit in the southern region, but I wasn¡¯t worried about anyone seeing my growth, I knew she felt it and I was all hers.


    Our eyes connected to a point where I could feel the passion growing between us. During the crescendo of the song I picked her up; she wrapped her legs around my waist as I grabbed her beneath her ass and slowly twirled her around in the moment. She ran her fingers through my hair as I caressed her across her back, her ass and her legs. I started singing louder the words, ¡®Baby, I would die for you¡¯, looking her directly in her eyes. She looked at me longingly, and lovingly. She caressed my face as she ran her fingers across my lips. I gazed at her as I kissed her fingers. I leaned closer to where our lips were just millimeters away from each other. I hesitated a bit and looked at her. She was biting her lip again looking directly at mine. She glanced up, our eyes met and I sang along with the words, ¡®And you won¡¯t find no one that¡¯s better, Cos, I¡¯m right for you Babes.¡¯ .


    We were almost to the end of the song and, I spun her around and slowly let her down to the floor and we stood apart just inches away from each other; I sang loudly, ¡®I would die for you, I would lie for you, Keep it real with you, I would kill for you, my baby¡¯. She walked over and slid her hand across my face again; I held her other hand over my heart while I took the caressing hand and kissed it. I gently kissed down to her wrist and then down her arm as I slid her arm around to the back of my neck. I leaned down as close as possible to her lips, hovering just above as our noses touched; our breath mixed sweetly. Slowly as the song¡¯s last crescendo was ending and fading out, I looked at her and then kissed her. Her lips were as soft as I thought. Sweet and sexy, feeling like satin across my lips. She embraced me and wrapped her arms around my neck. My arms slid around her waist to the small of her back and pulled her closer as we kissed deeply. I think I made it clear about my feelings for her, in front of everyone so there was no denial. I wanted her and no one else.

 I Belong To You

    Juniper


    I couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. As our lips parted, I felt like fainting. This wasn¡¯t happening. This doesn¡¯t happen to people in real life, only in the movies. We stood there, still in each others¡¯ embrace, gazing at each other, in our own world. I didn¡¯t hear the applause that was surrounding us; I didn¡¯t notice people coming to the floor and the lights growing brighter in the studio. It wasn¡¯t until Sara and Chanel ran over to us that I realized, this was real life.


    ¡°Shit girl! Y¡¯all did the damn thang!¡± Chanel said as she spun me towards her. It was then when I heard everyone cheering. I looked over to Min Jun and he was smiling and getting a ¡®bro hug¡¯ from Sara¡¯s guy. Sara had red eyes and tears running down her face. She was smiling hard and gave Min Jun a hug.


    ¡°What the fuck just happened?¡± I said to Chanel as she gave me a hug.


    ¡°Girl, y¡¯all zoned the fuck out as if y¡¯all were the only two people in this fucking place. Y¡¯all dance so well with each other! I got fucking chills!¡± She said. She looked as if she was tearing up, but she was smiling with joy. Sara made her way over to us and just gave me a hug. I had too many feelings going on to decipher. I was smiling and holding my chest. Min Jun kissed me and I kissed him back.


    We were in a moment and it was just us. He made me feel as if I was the only other person in this place. He sang for me and danced for me. He showed his heart to me and I accepted it. I fully accepted him. I looked over at him as he was surrounded by fans asking for either a quick picture or an autograph. He looked at me and we connected again. My heart skipped a beat. In that entire dance, I felt him, he was so vulnerable but he held nothing back. He put everything out there; he had shown all of his cards. I totally folded in the game, I surrendered and laid down my chess piece.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Sara screamed. ¡°I knew Min Jun was a good dancer, but damn girl, you got the moves for real. Juniper, you moved me. You and Min Jun work really well together.¡± She said honestly.


    ¡°Thank you, but I think that was Min Jun¡¯s doing, I just followed his lead.¡± I said. I was speechless. I looked over to Min Jun and he smiled at me. I returned the smile; I blushed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say. By the way you guys were so in-tuned with each other, I can bet money that I will be seeing more of you two, together.¡± She said slyly. She helped him; She helped him with everything, and I took the bait. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s a real good guy. He gives his all, in everything he does. He fully commits.¡± She said as she started walking away. She smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up as she turned and walked away. She went over to Min Jun and spoke with him briefly and he looked at me. Min Jun slowly started walking over to me and my heart started to pound again. My knees felt weak as if I was about to collapse.


    ¡°Here he comes, girl.¡± Chanel said. ¡°Girl listen, don¡¯t fight this one. Just go with the flow. Ride the rodeo girl. Don¡¯t overthink, just breathe.¡± Chanel knew exactly what I needed to hear, I must have had that look I get when I feel I¡¯m about to have a panic attack.


    ¡°Oh shit. Chanel?¡± I looked at her and she was smiling hard.


    ¡°You got this girl. Follow your heart. I know you like him otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be like this. You know I wouldn¡¯t steer you wrong girl. If I thought this was a bad idea, I would have told you to turn and run. But not this time, breathe Juni. Just go with the flow.¡± She said. She was right. I didn¡¯t need to overthink this situation. This was what I wanted, not how I had planned for it to go, but what does ever go the way I plan? Some of the best things that happen are usually totally unplanned. Min Jun stood before me and he reached for my hands. He was not phased by the people watching us in the distance, but he saw on my face that this was not something I was used to.


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    ¡°Hi.¡± He simply said. I relaxed just by his voice.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I responded. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. I just melted in his arms. I didn¡¯t care who was watching, I was going with the flow and acknowledging my feelings. He stepped back and leaned down to look directly in my eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He said, looking concerned. He took his towel from around his neck and wiped the sweat from my cheeks.


    ¡°Yeah, just a little out of sorts, I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± I said looking around at everyone.


    ¡° All of this.¡± He interrupted.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I managed to say.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere where we can talk.¡± He said taking my hand. He laced his fingers with mine and led me away from the dance floor. People were still in the moment and were patting us on the shoulders with ¡®congratulations¡¯, as we walked through the crowd. I didn¡¯t remember my feet moving, nor did I know where we were going, I just followed Min Jun.


    Min Jun led me to an office located just across from the guys'' locker rooms. He opened the door and I walked in. He walked in and closed the door behind him. I slowly walked over to the middle of the office and turned around. He came over to me and gave me another hug. It was really just us this time. I could still hear the noise from the studio; the cheers and the chatter of people talking. Music started playing and I could hear Sara getting ready for the final dance. He looked down at me and caressed my face.


    ¡°I was so nervous.¡± He admitted. He was nervous? I thought. Shit, he took control of me without knowing. Our dance was so sensual, it showed everyone the feelings we had for each other.


    ¡°You were nervous!? I couldn¡¯t tell. You held it together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I was. I wanted to tell you, but I didn¡¯t know how. But when I saw you dance with Chanel, I had to tell you. I hadn¡¯t seen you in a few days but when I finally saw you, I had to find a way to let you know.¡±


    ¡°Let me know?¡± I said


    ¡°That I like you.¡± He stated. My heart skipped. ¡°I know, we¡¯ve not known each other long, but I know you felt something between us. I wasn¡¯t the only one out there on the floor, you were there with me.¡±


    ¡°I felt it. I felt it all. You made my heart beat faster than it has ever beat before.¡± I admitted. He smiled. He held my hands as he stood before me.


    ¡°I want to get to know you. I want to know everything about you.¡± He said smiling. ¡°Juniper, let¡¯s date. Will you be my girlfriend?¡± He asked. I was floored. He asked me to be his girlfriend, so openly and honestly. This was something I was not about to hesitate on. I looked at him waiting patiently for my answer. I was going to jump blindly and I was going to ride the rodeo, just like Chanel said.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I¡¯ll be your girlfriend.¡± I answered. His eyes widened and we smiled. He pulled me into his embrace. This man was now mine. I had never had anyone do the things he was doing to me. I had never had anyone do the things he has done for me. I had never had someone who made me feel the way I felt. This was a first and there is a first time for everything. I closed my eyes as I pulled him close, my face buried in his chest. He caressed my face and I looked up to meet his glance. Our eyes met and we need not speak a word for us to understand how we felt towards each other. He tipped my chin up as he lowered his lips to mine. His lips were soft and sweet. He held me tighter as his tongue tasted mine. I wrapped my arms around his waist pulling him closer as he held my face and kissed me deeply. I accepted the fact that I was about to submit myself to him and enjoy this ride wherever it took me. I loved the way he made me feel when I was with him and I didn¡¯t want that feeling to leave.

 What Had Happened Was - Part 1

    Juniper


    The rest of the weekend was a total blur for me to be honest. After the studio, Chanel, Min Jun and I hit a few clubs. Jong-dae showed up and hung out with Chanel. I think they had a little crush on each other. They really enjoyed each other¡¯s company. Min Jun and I were basically inseparable the entire weekend. It was like a dream that I didn¡¯t want to wake up from. Of course, I had to go back to work on Monday and Chanel as well. I can honestly say that was one of the best weekends I¡¯ve had since I¡¯ve been in South Korea.


    Walking through the office door, I felt as if I had a bit more pep in my step. I just felt happy, and I hadn¡¯t had that in a long time. I didn¡¯t call Se-ra the entire weekend and she seemed curious as to what I did over the weekend. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should tell her or should I keep it a secret. I didn¡¯t want to keep it from her, because it was news that was way too good to keep a secret. But I didn¡¯t want to jinx anything either, so I decided that I was going to keep it to myself. Se-ra and I had lunch delivered and we hung out in the office lunch room.


    ¡°So, Juniper, what did you do over the weekend?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°Nothing much, just hung out with friends.¡± I responded.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hang out with me.¡± She said dryly. ¡°I called you and you didn¡¯t answer, and you didn¡¯t even call me back.¡±


    ¡°Well what happened was that my friend from the States came to Seoul for work. She¡¯s one of my best friends from back home. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t call you back. I was trying to catch up with her this weekend.¡±


    ¡°Oh she came for work? Is she still here? ¡± She asked. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was getting jealous or not of Chanel.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s still here. Her job is trying to open a flagship store here so she might be here permanently.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is the friend you went to school with?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we grew up together. Her name is Chanel.¡±


    ¡°So what did you guys do, did you hit some clubs over the weekend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah we did. We hit a few. We had a great time.¡± I said thinking about the dance class. That was a great time.


    ¡°Well next time pick up the phone when I call, or call me back. I would have loved to come out with you and her. You should introduce us. We could have a girls¡¯ night.¡± She said. If she only knew, it wasn¡¯t just girls.


    ¡°Oh,¡± She remembered. ¡°I wanted to tell you about a position that I heard about. I know that you are always drawing and you said that you wanted to get into game development. I know a game software company that is looking for a new developer with a good concept. I think you should apply.¡± She said as she slurped her ramen.


    ¡°Really? I responded excitedly. My eyes bulged out of my head. Just to think I could actually get the opportunity to present my concept would be amazing.


    ¡°Yep, my brother asked me if I knew someone who would be interested and I thought of you. I think you should go for it. Who knows you would be able to get your game launched through them?¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh Se-ra, you don¡¯t know how much this means to me. Thank you. What is the name of the software company?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Arc Interactive. It¡¯s a small company but they have been growing. They just had a big launch of the game, Still Life. Have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, I¡¯ve been meaning to download it, it¡¯s a mobile game right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup, it is.¡± Se-ra got quiet and started getting a bit fidgety. I noticed as she was playing with her noodles. She usually does that when she wants to ask me something.


    ¡°What is it Se-ra?¡± I asked, looking at her from across the table.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She replied, acting as if I didn¡¯t notice. I gave her a look and she gave in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You know I don¡¯t want to ask but I just have to. How is Min Jun? Have you spoken with him lately? She asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s good, I guess.¡± I said looking down at my plate of spicy ramen. I didn¡¯t want to make eye contact because I didn¡¯t want to lie to her.


    ¡°You lie!¡± she said as she pointed to me. ¡°I have known you long enough when you don¡¯t want to tell the truth. You look away. What is up?¡± She pays too much attention to me.


    ¡°Nothing. Seriously, nothing is up.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Juniper. You know me. You are my friend and I just want you to know that you shouldn¡¯t feel as though you can¡¯t tell me things. I can keep a secret. I know you have your friend from back home, but I¡¯m here too.¡± She said looking a bit distraught. She was right, I should fill her in on what is going on with me. Especially if I get to the point when I¡¯m not meeting up with her on the weekend as usual.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Ok. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What are you keeping from me? Because I think you are.¡± She asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain. I can¡¯t believe what happened to be honest. It all happened so fast.¡± I said thinking about the moment at the studio; the moment Min Jun kissed me.


    ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t know how to explain this?¡± Se-ra said as she slid over her phone. I picked up her phone and damn near choked on a noodle. It was a video of Min Jun and I dancing at the studio. It was our first dance and the famous freeform dance. Both had gained a number of likes and views, however the latter had gone viral. It was titled Ex-Trainee Min Jun dances again. I read some of the comments and everyone was trying to figure out who the hell I was.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± I was so embarrassed. I closed my eyes and put my head down.


    ¡°One of my friends sent this to me. We had a fan club back in the day that followed a few of the trainees and Min Jun was one of them. ANYTHING that comes across the internet with him, I get.¡± Se-ra moved from the other side of the table to sit next to me.


    ¡°Oh my god, I can¡¯t believe this is happening.¡± I said.


    ¡°What happened?¡± She said being concerned.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I can deal with this kind of exposure.¡± I said. She patted my back.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to be honest. The comments are really good Juniper. You guys were HOT! But you should have told me.¡± She said being supportive and disappointed at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t even know it would be posted let alone go viral. My friend, Chanel, found out about a dance studio that had evening classes. We decided to do something different since it was our first night out since she landed. She had a long week and she wanted to dance and then go bar hopping and drinking.¡±


    ¡°How did you meet up with Min Jun? The last time I spoke to you, you hadn¡¯t heard from him in a few days.¡± She asked.


    ¡°I know right. We went to this dance studio that just happened to be owned by his friends. I didn¡¯t know but he had been helping his friend out lately, working part-time as a dance instructor.¡± I stated. Her eyes bulged and she covered her mouth.


    ¡°Oh Shit.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Right! I didn¡¯t know anything about this place. It was someplace Chanel found through one of her coworkers.¡± I just closed my eyes and held my head back.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t see him when you walked in?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t there. He came in late, but by that time, we had already started the class. Then they had this ¡®freeform¡¯ dance and Chanel and I took the floor on a song. We used to be in a dance troupe back in the day and we were just having some fun. We had planned to go out and kick it and have just a girls¡¯ night. It totally changed after that dance.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Apparently he told them about me. So when we finished the dance, that¡¯s when I noticed him across the room.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god. This is like a drama. I¡¯m so happy for you! Tell me more.¡± She squealed.


    ¡°Se-ra, this doesn¡¯t happen in real life, does it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°When it¡¯s destiny, yes it does.¡± She smiled. ¡°He saw you across the room and he wanted to claim you before anyone. Did he confess his feelings?¡± She waited intensively on my answer.


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡± She squealed again.


    ¡°I saw the video. You guys were so HOT. When he picked you up, it was like a MV! At first I wanted to be upset with you, but whoever posted the video, got the entire dance and you looked so shocked after you guys finished.¡±


    ¡°I was totally shocked. He kissed me and I kissed him back!¡±


    ¡°Yes you did!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°I saw him talking to you while you were dancing, was he confessing?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.


    ¡°He was singing the song and saying those words directly to me. Have you ever listened to the lyrics of that song?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh my god, yes I have! He confessed his feelings in front of everyone.¡± She held her chest.


    ¡°Yeah. What you don¡¯t see on the video, is that he took me back to a room to be alone and talk.¡±


    ¡°What happened? You didn¡¯t do what I think you did, did you?¡± She asked with her eyes getting bigger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are thinking but if you are in the gutter then get out, pervert.¡± I pushed her and she smiled.


    ¡°Well, you know, in the heat of the passion, people can do things a little fast. But I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t. So what happened?¡±


    ¡°He confessed his feelings openly. He said he liked me and he wanted to date.¡± I said smiling. Just thinking about that moment made me smile and my heart skipped a beat. That moment replays in my head almost daily.


    ¡°OH MY GOD! Juniper!¡± She screamed. I shushed her and she covered her mouth. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said, yes.¡± I said smiling. Both of us squealed.


    ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯m so happy for you Juniper! I can¡¯t believe you are dating Lee Min Jun! Oh my god.¡± She said, giving me a hug. ¡°Oh Shit, I can¡¯t tell anyone.¡± She realized.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t, so keep it to you, yourself and you.¡± I said.


    ¡°I promise. I am happy for you. He seems really nice.¡±


    ¡°He is, he really is.¡± I said thinking about him and how he took care of me after the office outing.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, what are you going to do when you guys go out and you two get noticed?¡± She asked. I hadn¡¯t thought about that at all. I¡¯m not used to strangers coming up to me like celebrities do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t really thought about it to be honest. I¡¯ve just been enjoying my time with Min Jun.¡±


    ¡°Have you guys, um, you know, yet?¡± She asked wanting to know intimate details.


    ¡°Se-ra!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking. Can¡¯t a girl be curious?¡± She said impishly. She grinned and I giggled.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t, not yet. I¡¯ve been thinking about it myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be a pervert, but will you tell?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°I will tell you when it happens, but not in detail.¡± She squealed again and started to fan herself as if she was overheated. I just laughed and blushed. I was honest. I had been thinking about it. We haven¡¯t been intimate yet, but I am curious, especially since the man knows how to move his hips. We already have the passion on the floor, now we just need to get it to the bed.

 What Had Happened Was - Part 2

    Min Jun


    Going back to work was hard for me. I didn¡¯t want the weekend to end. It was amazing. I couldn¡¯t believe Juniper was now my girlfriend. I looked at the pictures we had taken when we first went out to dinner. Everything happened so fast. It was like a dream that I didn¡¯t want to wake up from. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should let Jin know or keep it to myself. I¡¯m sure he would eventually catch on, especially if I wasn¡¯t hanging out with him as much as I usually would. I wasn¡¯t going to just tell him about it. I figured if he didn¡¯t mention it, I wouldn¡¯t either. I came into work as normal as I could, but this time my mind was on Juniper. When I sat down at my desk, Jin turned around immediately. He looked at me as I got ready for another day at work.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal?¡± He asked. He found out, I thought. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I was going to play along until I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I responded.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been available lately? You don¡¯t hang out with me and the guys anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s just us guys, I need to change it up.¡± I replied not trying to make eye contact.


    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t even hang out with me anymore. When the day is over, we usually go get dinner but are at the elevator as soon as it''s time to leave.¡± He said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been a bit busy with things.¡± I said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Really? Do you have another job?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± His question threw me off a bit. He thinks I have another job?


    ¡°You heard me, do you have another job that you rush off to after work?¡± I didn¡¯t tell him about me working over at the studio.


    ¡°Can you keep a secret?¡± I asked. Jin came in close and leaned in.


    ¡°You know I can. What have you been up to?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working at a dance studio, helping a friend.¡±


    ¡°A dance studio? But I thought you gave all of that up.¡± He asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give up on my dream. I just slowed it down for a while.¡± I answered. I was being honest. After getting cut, I had to step away from it all to clear my head. I felt it was a perfect time for me to do my military service after that. It would not only take me away from all of the media, but it would give me a chance to clear my head. I had to find another approach to take my mind off things, especially Samantha. After she left me, I needed to really get away, so I signed up for my military service and left the week after. I was gone for 21 months. That gave me enough time to figure out what I wanted to do and what direction I wanted to go.


    ¡°Really? Is that why you are all over the internet?¡± He asked casually. I looked at him curiously.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked. He looked at me with a smirk.


    ¡°You honestly don¡¯t know?¡± He said while reaching for his phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, I don¡¯t have a clue what you are talking about.¡± I said sitting back in the chair.


    ¡°Take a look.¡± He pulled up a video on his phone and gave it to me. It was me, at the dance studio. I was teaching a class and someone had posted a video of it. I looked at the owner of the channel and I didn¡¯t recognize the name. I figured it was just someone who had come to the studio and noticed I was teaching.


    ¡°Ok, so that¡¯s one video of me teaching the class, like I said. It¡¯s nothing to worry about. I still have fans who want me to make a comeback.¡± I said, giving back his phone.


    I figured since going to the studio, it would bring some attention to the place and help Alex and Sara out. No big deal; they would get more people wanting to take their classes and they would get more exposure. I didn¡¯t mind helping my friends out, that was the least I could do after what they did for me.


    ¡°True, I will give you that. But there¡¯s more.¡± He said. He pulled up another video. This time, it was a video from the weekend. It was Juniper and I. It was our dance. As I watched it, I was right back in the studio dancing with Juniper. Jin smiled as he watched over my shoulder. Then came the kiss; I could hear the people squealing and cheering on the video. I didn¡¯t hear any of that while in the moment with Juniper, it was just us.


    ¡°How many times have you watched this?¡± I turned around and asked Jin.


    ¡°Uh, enough times to know that it¡¯s Juniper you¡¯re kissing.¡± He answered honestly. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°How did you get this?¡± I asked. I looked at the channel that posted it, it was the same as the other video, KpopPrincess.


    ¡°I overheard some girls in the office talking about it in the cafeteria. I asked one of the girls in our department about it. I think her name is Mindi.¡± He said. This person must have someone come to the studio. I swiped through video after video of me dancing either teaching classes or practicing. I never paid attention to the people that came because everyone usually takes the class. I get it that some people post videos but it was like a Min Jun series on this channel.  I went to the channel site and there were a bunch of videos of various things but the recently posted ones were of me.


    ¡°Just tell me, I¡¯m right. It¡¯s Juniper, right?¡± Jin asked again. I handed his phone to him and just looked at him.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Juniper.¡± I finally answered.


    I was curious to find out who was posting videos of me. I searched my name online and various videos popped up of me dancing. Old videos of back when I was a trainee and the most recent ones were of me dancing at the studio. A good majority of them were me practicing, but the ones with the most views were the ones from the weekend. And it looked like the one with Juniper and I was going viral. I read some of the comments, and people were trying to find out who the ¡®mystery woman¡¯ was who has my heart. I hoped Juniper didn¡¯t have doubts about getting with me. I¡¯m not even sure if she knew about the videos.


    ¡°When were you going to tell me?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± I responded. Jin looked shocked and a bit disappointed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I was going to tell you, when you asked.¡± I stated.


    ¡°I knew something was up. You have been missing in action. So what¡¯s the deal with you two?¡± He asked, scooting back to his desk beside me.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°We¡¯re dating.¡± I nonchalantly replied.


    ¡°What?!¡± Jin said loudly. People around us turned their attention towards us. ¡°Sorry.¡± he said. I giggled and pretended to be focused on work. ¡°How can you just say it like that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dating? Since when?¡±


    ¡°Since that night. The night we kissed.¡± I pointed at the phone, referring to the video.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± He looked at me with his eyes so big. I turned to him and looked him directly in the eyes.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He looked at me. He was so shocked, he didn¡¯t know how to respond. I snickered and went back to focusing on work.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I confessed.¡± I said. I honestly did. I let it all out and it was like a huge weight was lifted off of me.


    ¡°Wow. And she said yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes she did. She said yes.¡± I smiled proudly. I was happy she did. I wasn¡¯t really sure of what I would have done had she rejected me. I hadn¡¯t really thought about it honestly. I just put my heart out there and went with the flow; and she accepted it.


    ¡°Wa.¡± He said sitting back in his chair. My phone buzzed; I received a text. I looked at my phone and smiled, it was Juniper.


    [Juniper] Hi Min Jun, How are you doing?


    [Min Jun] Hi Juni, I¡¯m doing good. How are you?


    [Juniper] Good. I¡¯ve been thinking about you.


    [Min Jun] I¡¯ve been thinking about you too. I miss you. Is that too soon to say?


    [Juniper] No. ?? I miss you too.??


    [Min Jun] ????????


    [Juniper] ?? Will I see you today?????


    [Min Jun] Of course!?? I was hoping to see you!????????How about dinner?


    [Juniper] That sounds good. I can¡¯t wait??????.


    [Min Jun] I¡¯ll pick you up. Anything you want to eat, my treat. Jin slid his chair back and looked at me. I was smiling and texting.


    ¡°What are you smiling about? I can hear your fingers going crazy.¡± He asked, trying to see my phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m texting with Juniper. We¡¯re going to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Can I come too? I haven¡¯t eaten with you in a few days, and we¡¯ve always eaten together after work. You owe me.¡± I didn¡¯t want him to feel left out since I started dating Jin.


    ¡°Let me see if Juniper can bring her friend from work.¡±


    [Min Jun] Do you mind if Jin comes? You can ask your friend from work.


    [Juniper] Sure, but I have another friend too who would like to come also. She can meet us there.


    [Min Jun] Okay, where do you want to eat?


    [Juniper] There is a great place to get chicken and beer, called Kanbul Chicken Yongsan. That¡¯s what I want to eat. It¡¯s near my place.


    [Min Jun] Okay. I¡¯ll see you after work. ????


    [Juniper] See you then. ??


    ¡°Well?¡± Jin asked impatiently.


    ¡°She said you can come, but she has another friend who will be joining us. It¡¯s her friend from America.¡± Jin¡¯s eyes got big.


    ¡°There is another one? But wait, it will be uneven. I need to invite someone to make it even.¡±


    ¡°Why not invite Taehyung?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Ah yes, he will do.¡± He got up and scurried over to Taehyung¡¯s desk. This night was going to be interesting, I thought.


    The work day couldn''t end fast enough for me. I was constantly looking at the clock while working, I tried hard to focus on work, but even though I was busy, it still didn¡¯t keep me from being anxious about picking Juniper up. I couldn¡¯t wait to see her face. It had been almost 24 hours since I dropped her off at her place and I was anxiously waiting for me to see her again.


    Finally, it was time for us to leave to pick up Juniper. Jin seemed more excited to go as well. Taehyung met us downstairs in the lobby of the office building.


    Juniper and Se-ra were waiting outside their building by the time we arrived. It was a bit chilly, so I was worried a bit since they had been outside waiting. The weather had been seasonably cool and I didn¡¯t want her to catch a cold. She smiled and waved as I drove up. I got out to open the door for her. Taehyung also got out to greet Se-ra. Se-ra looked surprised that he had accompanied us, but not in a bad way. She blushed as he offered her to enter the car on his side. She got in and sat in the middle of Jin and Taehyung. I greeted Juniper at the car door and held it open for her. I wanted to kiss her so bad, but this was not the moment to do so. I will wait until we are alone for that. There was no reason to display our affection for each other, we had done enough over the weekend. I closed the door for Juniper and hurried back to the driver¡¯s side, and we were off.


    We arrived at the restaurant and Juniper was correct, it was literally in the general area of where she lived. I could see her apartment building in the distance. Chanel was waiting at the restaurant when we arrived.


    ¡°Chanel!¡± Juniper called to her as we arrived.


    ¡°It¡¯s about damn time. I¡¯m freezing out here. This feels like Chicago weather.¡± She said walking over to the car.


    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± Juniper asked.


    ¡°No, not really. I just got here. I had the driver drop me off and I waited a bit before I told him that he could leave.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Oh ok, good. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Juniper said. We all piled out of the car and walked to the door.


    ¡°Oh, let me introduce you guys first. This is my bestie who lives here, Se-ra. Se-ra, this is my bestie from America, Chanel.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you bestie.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Nice to finally meet you too, bestie!¡± Se-ra said as she bowed. Chanel bowed in return.


    ¡°You already know Min Jun.¡± Juniper said.


    ¡°Good to see you again Chanel.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Hi Min Jun, it¡¯s good to see you too.¡± Chanel said and she walked over and gave me a hug.


    ¡°Chanel, these are my friends from work, Jin and Taehyung.¡± I stated as I pointed in their directions.


    ¡°Nice to meet the both of you.¡± She said. Both Jin and Taehyung slightly bowed and Chanel responded as well with a bow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Juniper said. I held the door open for everyone as we entered the restaurant.


    We quickly found a table that would fit all of us comfortably nearest the back of the restaurant. Juniper sat next to me between Jin and I and Chanel sat across the table from Jin. Se-ra sat between Chanel and Taehyung across from Juniper. It was quiet as we all were looking at the menus trying to decide what to eat. I kept stealing glances at Juniper and she would bump me to stop staring. She slowly turned and looked at me; she smiled and my heart skipped a beat. I smiled back at her and gave her a wink. She blushed and went back to looking at the menu. She had the menu on the table and turned the pages with one hand while the other rested on her lap. While no one was paying attention, I reached over and laced my fingers with hers. She held my hand underneath the table; I could see her smiling with approval through my peripheral. I could only imagine how this night would end.

 $H#T Hits the Fan - Part 1 (Junipers POV)

    Juniper


    I was really enjoying myself, I guess a little too much because my worst nightmare started. My phone started ringing; I looked at my phone and it was my mother. I immediately declined the call. I went back to joining in the conversation and she called again. I saw Min Jun look over to my phone as I rejected it again.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah, everything is good.¡± I lied. I didn¡¯t know the reason she was calling. I didn¡¯t want to ignore the call, as it could be important, but the last time we spoke to each other, she was bringing up wanting me to speak to Caleb.


    ¡°Is that your mother calling? Are you ignoring your mother?¡± He asked. I saw Chanel look my way.


    ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t want to talk to her right now.¡± My phone rang again.


    ¡°She¡¯s been calling me Juniper. I haven¡¯t answered the phone either. And you know your mother knows I know where you are.¡± Chanel said. Shit, I thought, this just can¡¯t be happening right now. My phone buzzed again; she was calling again. She wasn¡¯t going to stop unless I answered the phone.


    ¡°Go take the call, she might need to tell you something.¡± Min Jun said as he slid out the way to let me out from behind the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be a minute. Can you order for me please?¡± I asked as I grabbed my coat and headed towards the door. He nodded and I left the restaurant. I answered the phone once I was out of earshot of everyone.


    ¡°Hello Mother.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Juniper! You finally answered.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother. Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh Juniper. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°What is going on Mom?¡±


    ¡°Caleb is upset. He¡¯s trying to find you.¡± Here we go, I thought. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have answered this call.


    ¡°Mom, we are not about to start this again. I don¡¯t care if¡­¡±


    ¡°Juniper, he saw the video. Did you know you were on the internet?¡± She interrupted me. My heart stopped. How in the Fuck did she know about the video? How in the fuck did he know about the video?


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He saw the video of you dancing with some guy and kissing him and Caleb is pissed off. He¡¯s looking for you Juniper.¡± She said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Why would he care? Why would YOU care?¡± I said, raising my voice. I couldn¡¯t believe this. This video has gone viral and now Caleb is trying to find out where I am.


    ¡°Juniper, he wants to talk to you.¡± She said. I don¡¯t even understand why she was telling me this.


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t care!¡± I yelled. I heard the door close and looked back. Min Jun was standing outside the restaurant door. He was looking concerned. I turned around and put my hand over my eyes. I didn¡¯t want him to witness this conversation. I didn¡¯t want to disrespect my parents in front of him, given the fact that in his culture, that is not done. However, in my culture, I was grown and I could speak my mind, and sometimes I would raise my voice just so she would understand because she is utterly clueless.


    ¡°Juniper, are you okay?¡± He asked, walking over. I turned around and he saw that I was upset. My mother was talking and I hadn¡¯t heard a word.


    ¡°Not really.¡± I said.


    ¡°Who is that? Who are you talking to?¡± My mother asks as she hears Min Jun talking to me.


    ¡°Talk in the car.¡± He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his car. He opened the passenger door and I got in the seat. He stood outside looking at me through the window.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Mother. Why are you calling me?¡± I asked. I saw Min Jun walk to the drivers¡¯ side and get in. He turned on the car and the heat. I didn¡¯t want him to hear this conversation but I had no choice. I put her on speaker phone and just held my head in my hands.


    ¡°Juniper, just talk to him. He wants to say he¡¯s sorry, baby.¡± I honestly couldn''t believe what I was hearing.


    ¡°Mom, why are you telling me this? He cheated on me, Mom, with Nevaeh. How could you ask me to speak to him?¡±


    ¡°He said it was an accident. He¡¯s looking for you to tell you in person. He knows you are in South Korea.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care Mom. It¡¯s over between us. Why are you siding with him?¡±


    ¡°Juniper Ashley Brown! He is a good man. He made one mistake, you can work it out.¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking serious Mom? Are you even my mother? I can¡¯t believe you are asking me to speak to a man who I physically saw fucking my step sister in the bathroom of our house!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Baby, I just want what¡¯s best for you. Men make mistakes.¡± She replied.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a mistake Mom. He didn¡¯t respect me at all. This was not the first time with Nevaeh. I ignored it and that was my mistake. I¡¯m not going back and I¡¯m not speaking to him.¡±


    ¡°Well, he saw the video of you and that guy. He saw you kissing him. He got so pissed, he said he was coming to bring you home.¡± She said. I looked at Min Jun and he looked concerned. I was totally shaken. I didn¡¯t want to deal with this and I definitely didn¡¯t want Min Jun in between this shit.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll never find me.¡± I answered, looking at Min Jun. Tears started falling from my eyes. I was just so tired of this shit from her. I¡¯m supposed to smile and turn my head as if things never happened.


    ¡°Who is this guy Juniper? Who were you kissing?¡± She asked. I wiped my eyes and sniffed. I looked at Min Jun and he looked so concerned with what I was going through.


    ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend, Mom. I was kissing my boyfriend.¡± I stated. Min Jun smiled which made me smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re boyfriend? He¡¯s Korean!¡± She responded.


    ¡°Yes Mom, yes He is. And he is a better man than Caleb ever was or could ever be.¡±


    ¡°Juniper! Caleb is a good man!¡±


    ¡°No he isn¡¯t Mom and I can¡¯t believe you are siding with him! I don¡¯t even know who you are anymore, because you are not my mother! A real mother would NEVER tell her daughter to get back with someone who has done her wrong on so many levels.¡± I said


    ¡°I just think you could work it out.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think Mom, It¡¯s not in your best interest to do so.¡± I said and disconnected the call. I was so embarrassed and distraught, I cried. I was so tired of trying to understand why she thought that was the best I could do in a man. She was actually telling me to get back with this person who ¡®made a mistake¡¯. What bullshit!


    Min Jun consoled me and hugged me and kissed my forehead. I did not want him to witness that conversation, but maybe it was a good thing that he did. Now he could understand exactly how fucked up I was and why he saw me like he did when he first met me. I sat back in the seat and just stared out the window.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hear all of that.¡± I finally said looking down at my phone. She was calling back. I declined the call. This time I blocked her ass.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Min Jun said as he reached for my hand. He laced his fingers with mine and he kissed the back of my hand. ¡°I will be by your side, always. We will get through this together.¡± He stated. He was going to make me fall in love with him. No one has ever said anything remotely close to what he has told me.


    ¡°Thank you, but I didn¡¯t want you to hear me speaking that way to my mother. I didn¡¯t want you to have to hear how fucked up my family is.¡± I responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your mother just wants you to be happy. She just thinks that you couldn¡¯t do better than that asshole. But she¡¯s never met me.¡± He stated. He looked proud to be with me. ¡°Let¡¯s go back in, our food should be ready.¡± He said.


    We got out of the car and I bundled up in my coat. I wiped tears from my face as I didn¡¯t want to let the others know that I had been crying. We stopped in front of the restaurant and Min Jun stood in front of me. He wiped my tears away and caressed my face. He looked at me so lovingly, I could just melt. He didn¡¯t have to say a word as his entire face told me everything. He was happy and he wanted to see me happy too. He gazed in my eyes and smiled. I smiled back. He made me happy for sure. He held my face in his hands and leaned down and his lips touched mine. They were soft and warm; his kiss released the chill from my body. He kissed me deeply as my tongue danced with his. The entire world was no longer busy as we stood kissing outside in the cold. He made everything go away. It was as if I didn¡¯t even have a conversation with my mother.


    ¡°Shit y¡¯all, the food is here.¡± Chanel said, screaming from the door. I don¡¯t think we would have stopped if it weren¡¯t for her. We parted with small kisses and giggled as we heard Chanel fussing as she was going back into the restaurant. We hurried back in to join the group and eat our food. I was famished after that conversation. Min Jun held my hand as we walked back to our table. Everyone had their eyes on us as we were walking in. As we sat down, it looked as if we had some explaining to do.

 $H#T Hits the Fan - Part 2 (Min Juns POV)

    Min Jun


    It was nice being out with Juniper, even if we were out with others. As long as I was with Juniper, it really didn¡¯t matter, I was able to spend time with her. We were all sitting down looking over the menu, when Juniper¡¯s phone began to ring. At first I didn¡¯t pay attention to it, but I noticed she declined the call immediately. I didn¡¯t think much of it until after it rang again shortly after she declined the call; ¡®Mom¡± was displayed on the screen and Juniper declined the call again. I looked over to her and she looked at me and smiled. I figured she knew what she was doing, she knew her mother more than I. Suddenly it rang again, and I paid attention to her again.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, everything is good.¡± She replied. I didn¡¯t want to push the issue. I just figured whatever is going on between her and her mother she would explain later, however I was concerned because she kept calling.


    ¡°Is that your mother calling? Are you ignoring your mother?¡± I asked. I completely understand when your parents can get on your nerves but it seemed as though her mother was really trying to get in touch with her as it may be urgent.


    ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t want to talk to her right now.¡± Juniper said as her phone rang again.


    ¡°She¡¯s been calling me Juniper. I haven¡¯t answered the phone either. And you know your mother knows I know where you are.¡± Chanel said. I looked at Juniper and she looked defeated. She really didn¡¯t want to answer the phone call.


    ¡°Go take the call, she might need to tell you something.¡± I said as I moved out of the way for her to leave the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be a minute. Can you order for me please?¡± She asked as she grabbed her coat and headed out the restaurant.


    ¡°That is going to be one hell of a phone call.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°How so?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, Juniper and her mother don¡¯t really see eye to eye on a few things. Her relationships being one of them.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I responded.


    ¡°Yes. Her mother is kind of superficial and she believes that everyone should have a second chance, even if they are the ones that have done the wrong in the first place. She¡¯s always given her opinion about who Juniper should date or what type of man she should be with.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I said looking down. I think I should have stayed out of that situation. I shouldn¡¯t have suggested she speak with her mother without knowing all of the details.


    ¡°I would suggest that you go out there and save her in a few minutes.¡± Chanel said. The waitress came over to the table to take our order.


    ¡°What do you mean save her?¡± I asked after I placed our order.


    ¡°You need to go out there and support her, because I guarantee that conversation will not be a pleasant one.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I replied. Everyone was a bit quiet at the table after hearing this information. I liked Chanel as she was a true friend to Juniper. She knew exactly what she needed in her time of need.


    ¡°I would give her about 5 more minutes, then go and save her.¡± She stated.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think she would be upset that I came out to check on her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not at all. Most likely she¡¯s out there screaming at the top of her lungs right now trying to talk to her mother. Her mother is absolutely clueless, sorry to say, but she is. She will always try to tell Juniper what she should do in anything she does. She¡¯s one of the reasons why she moved here, to get as far away from her as possible. Well, her and other things that she was dealing with.¡± Chanel stated. I became concerned. I didn¡¯t want her outside screaming, especially a private conversation that should not be heard by others.


    ¡°Thank you Chanel.¡± I said as I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. As soon as I stepped outside, I could hear her conversation.


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t care!¡± She yelled. The door slammed behind me and she turned around. She looked very upset as she was fighting for her life. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying and she looked like she was trying to stay afloat.


    ¡°Juniper, are you okay?¡± I asked, walking over. She was visibly upset and shaking.


    ¡°Not really.¡± She said.


    ¡°Talk in the car.¡± I said. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the call. I opened the passenger side and she got in. I contemplated if I should get inside the car as well, as I could see she was still yelling at her mother. It was a bit chilly and I said fuck it, I wasn¡¯t going back inside without her. I walked around to the driver¡¯s side and got in. I turned on the car and turned up the heat. She continued with her call. She placed the call on speaker phone.


    ¡°Juniper, just talk to him. He wants to say he¡¯s sorry, baby.¡± Juniper¡¯s mother said.


    ¡°Mom, why are you telling me this? He cheated on me, Mom, with Nevaeh. How could you ask me to speak to him?¡± Juniper replied.


    ¡°He said it was an accident. He¡¯s looking for you to tell you in person. He knows you are in South Korea.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care Mom. It¡¯s over between us. Why are you siding with him?¡±


    ¡°Juniper Ashley Brown! He is a good man. He made one mistake, you can work it out.¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking serious Mom? Are you even my mother? I can¡¯t believe you are asking me to speak to a man who I physically saw fucking my step sister in the bathroom of our house!¡± She screamed.


    ¡°Baby, I just want what¡¯s best for you. Men make mistakes.¡± Her mother replied.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a mistake Mom. He didn¡¯t respect me at all. This was not the first time with Nevaeh. I ignored it and that was my mistake. I¡¯m not going back and I¡¯m not speaking to him.¡±


    ¡°Well, he saw the video of you and that guy. He saw you kissing him. He got so pissed, he said he was coming to bring you home.¡± Her mother stated. My blood began to boil. How could this idiot think that I would let her go so easily. How could he have the audacity to come and try to take her from me.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll never find me.¡± She stated. She looked at me and tears started streaming down her face.


    ¡°Who is this guy Juniper? Who were you kissing?¡± Her mother asked. I didn¡¯t want to see her crying, especially over this stupid motherfucker. Again, he was not even present and he was making her cry again. She looked at me and our eyes met. She looked so sad and I just wanted to make it all better.


    ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend, Mom. I was kissing my boyfriend.¡± She said proudly. I smiled the biggest smile I could. She smiled back in return.


    ¡°You¡¯re boyfriend? He¡¯s Korean!¡± Her mother responded.


    ¡°Yes Mom, yes He is. And he is a better man than Caleb ever was or could ever be.¡±


    ¡°Juniper! Caleb is a good man!¡± He mother screamed


    ¡°No he isn¡¯t Mom and I can¡¯t believe you are siding with him! I don¡¯t even know who you are anymore, because you are not my mother! A real mother would NEVER tell her daughter to get back with someone who has done her wrong on so many levels.¡± Juniper yelled.


    ¡°I just think you could work it out.¡± Juniper¡¯s mother responded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think Mom, It¡¯s not in your best interest to do so.¡± Juniper said and hung up the phone. I didn¡¯t know what to say or do at that moment. She broke down crying and I just wanted to make it all better.


    I caressed her back and consoled her as much as I could. I kissed her forehead, letting her know that I fully supported her. I didn¡¯t have a clue as to what she was going through with her parents, but this is something I never could have imagined. I was devastated the way her mother said, ¡®He¡¯s Korean.¡¯. Like THAT made a fucking difference.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hear all of that.¡± She finally said. Her phone rang again. It was her mother calling back. Juniper declined the call and then blocked her. I don¡¯t blame her. I would have done the same thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± I said as I reached for her hand. I laced my fingers with mine and I kissed the back of her hand. ¡°I will be by your side, always. We will get through this together.¡± I proclaimed.


    ¡°Thank you, but I didn¡¯t want you to hear me speaking that way to my mother. I didn¡¯t want you to have to hear how fucked up my family is.¡± She responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your mother just wants you to be happy. She just thinks that you couldn¡¯t do better than that asshole. But she¡¯s never met me.¡± I stated. I was proud to be with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back in, our food should be ready.¡± I said.


    I got out of the car and I went around to the passenger side to Juniper. She was wiping tears from her face. I figured she didn¡¯t want the others to know she was crying. I can completely understand that. Once someone sees that you have been crying, it just opens the opportunity to be asked questions you don¡¯t want to answer. We stopped in front of the restaurant and I stood in front of her. I wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and caressed her face. I wanted to kiss her and make it all better. I wanted to take her pain away. I just knew I had to be there for her to lean on. She was making me fall in love with her. I smiled to make her feel good and she responded with a smile. I held her face in my hands and looked at her. I just needed to let her know I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I leaned down and kissed her lips. Nice, soft and sweet. My tongue danced with hers and she tasted sweet. We were alone again, just like we were in the studio. The world around us had simply disappeared and it seemed as if time had stopped. I didn¡¯t want her to think about her mother. Tonight her mother didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Shit y¡¯all, the food is here.¡± Chanel said, screaming from the door of the restaurant. She was the only reason we stopped kissing. I parted from Juniper with small, reassuring kisses. I giggled as I heard Chanel fussing as she was going back into the restaurant. She was a really good friend to Juniper. I¡¯m glad she also has some support from home, she really needed all the support she could get. We hurried back into the restaurant. As we approached the table, all eyes were on us as I held her hand the entire way. Everyone looked at us as we sat down. Everyone had a smirk on their faces as if we had some explaining to do.


    ¡°Are you okay Juniper?¡± Se-ra asked, being concerned.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m good.¡± She responded.


    ¡°I kinda gave them a lil¡¯ synopsis of your life with your mom.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± Juniper said looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Really Chanel?¡±


    ¡°They were worried about you. You have some really good friends. And good friends support each other. So deal with it.¡± Chanel made a face towards Juniper which made Juniper giggle.


    ¡°You could never hold water, for real.¡± She said.


    ¡°Not when it comes to you Boo. You know I love you girl.¡± Chanel said. I loved that she had a REAL friend in Chanel. She just wanted the best for Juniper.


    ¡°I love you too Boo.¡± Juniper responded. She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and noticed that everyone was still looking at us.


    ¡°What?¡± I said.


    ¡°I think they are waiting for us to address the elephant in the room, but I¡¯m sure everyone knows by now thanks to Chanel. They need some confirmation.¡± Juniper said.


    ¡°About what?¡± I said I was totally clueless.


    ¡°About us.¡± She said looking at me and holding up our hands with laced fingers.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I smiled and blushed. I looked around the table and then looked directly at Juniper. ¡°Well, has everyone seen the video?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a video?¡± Chanel asked.


    ¡°Remember when we went to the dance studio and it was packed with all of those people who were there?¡± Juniper asked.


    ¡°Uh yeah?¡± Chanel responded.


    ¡°Well apparently, a lot of them posted a bunch of videos of things that happened?¡± Juniper stated.


    ¡°Really? So they have videos of us dancing too?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± I responded. ¡°They also got a video of Juniper and I dancing also.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, and the kiss?¡± She said smiling and covering her mouth.


    ¡°Yeah, they got that too.¡± Juniper said blushing.


    ¡°So what happened when you left the floor? Y¡¯all disappeared.¡± Chanel asked.


    ¡°You know what happened, Chanel.¡± Juniper stated.


    ¡°Yes I do, but everyone doesn¡¯t know. Se-ra wasn¡¯t there and her guy Taehyung doesn¡¯t know.¡± Chanel stated. Se-ra blushed and covered her mouth. She slowly looked at Taehyung and they both blushed and smiled. ¡°And Jin doesn¡¯t know, do you, Jin?¡± She asked. I looked at Jin knowing he knew what happened.


    ¡°You¡¯re right Chanel, I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t you tell us Min Jun?¡± He said slyly. I looked at him and he grinned widely. I looked at Juniper and held her hand. She smiled and laced her fingers with mine.


    ¡°I asked Juniper to be my girlfriend.¡± I said looking at her.


    ¡°And I said yes.¡± She responded. Everyone had a look of awe on their faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s about damn time. I knew I liked you Min Jun when I saw you. Take care of Juniper, she needs you more than she¡¯s willing to admit.¡± Chanel said. I looked at Juniper and kissed her hand.


    ¡°I will, I promise to take good care of her.¡± I said. Everyone clapped and cheered. We both blushed and laughed.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s eat dammit!¡± Chanel said. We laughed and we all enjoyed the company of good friends.

 Middle of the Night

    Juniper


    Dinner was nice, I really had a great time, considering how it started. I couldn¡¯t believe my mother and how she acted. Especially towards Min Jun. I hope he understands that I have no reason to dislike him because he is Korean. I love that we are from different cultures. I want to get to know about him and his interests. I want to know his traditions and know everything that makes him, him. He seemed happy; especially when he was able to tell everyone that we were dating. Shortly after dinner, it was time for us to leave. Everyone had basically rode with Min Jun, but I didn¡¯t want him to leave me. I lived just down the street and it was late. We had a few bottles of Soju and I definitely didn¡¯t want him to drive home, let alone drive everyone else home too.


    ¡°Chanel,¡± I called her over to me at the door as we were preparing to leave. ¡°Can your driver take everyone home?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they ride with Min Jun?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes they did, but I have plans for him tonight.¡± I said. She looked at me and gave me that look. She knew exactly what was on my agenda.


    ¡°Ooooo, Bitch. I know that look.¡± She bumped into me. I rolled my eyes and we giggled. ¡°Gone¡¯ head girl, get yours. Take your man home, I¡¯ll make sure everyone gets home. You deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you girl. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow. I love you.¡± I said. Chanel gave me a hug.


    ¡°I love your crazy ass too.¡± She said, ¡°Are you going to leave his car here or can you drive home?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I think we will be good going home. It¡¯s not far. I just didn¡¯t want him trying to drive everyone else home.¡± I said.


    ¡°I feel you girl. Go ahead, I got them.¡± She said, I really did love her. I didn¡¯t have a sister and she was the best thing to a sister any person could ever have. I truly value our friendship as we had a sisterhood that had a strong bond and I loved her tremendously.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. I appreciate all of you. It meant a lot to me.¡± I said to the group.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing, I have my car that is about to arrive shortly, so I will be taking all of you home so Min Jun and Juniper can go home. That way he doesn¡¯t have to drive all of you home after we all have had a few drinks. And I want to make sure my boy, Min Jun, makes it to work tomorrow.¡± Chanel said to the group.


    ¡°Are you sure? Will there be enough room?¡± Se-ra asked.


    ¡°Yes girl, I have a large SUV that seats 8. So plenty of room.¡± She said as the black SUV pulled up alongside the restaurant. It had dark tinted windows and it was sleek and stylish.


    ¡°What do you do? Are you in the entertainment business?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked, but no, I¡¯m not. I am a fashion designer for a major clothing company. I am here to find a location for us to expand.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Nice.¡± He said. ¡°It must be very important for them to give you a car and a driver.¡± He stated. Chanel smiled as she knew she was important to this company, damn important. She has closed many deals for the company and she is not stopping anytime soon.


    ¡°Yes, very important. My driver will be taking each of you home, however he will be dropping me off at my hotel as I have a very early day tomorrow. So just give him your address so he can drop each one of you off.¡± She said.


    ¡°Thank you so much Chanel. I think you will be my other bestie!¡± Se-ra stated. She seemed excited to be driven around.


    ¡°Yes girl, we gotta stick together to keep Juniper on the right track.¡± She said and both of them looked back. They all waved and loaded into the truck and they were off.


    I turned and looked at Min Jun. He was standing near the car, waiting patiently for me. I walked over to the car and he opened the door for me. I sat down and he closed the door. He jogged around to the driver¡¯s side and got in.


    ¡°Are you okay to drive to my place?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not far. Thank you for having Chanel drop them off. I didn¡¯t feel comfortable driving everyone home.¡± He said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I figured that much. I was worried about you driving everyone as well. So I figured, you could stay with me tonight.¡± He stared at me and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said.


    ¡°My pleasure.¡± He started the car and we were off to my apartment.


    As we got closer to my building, I got excited and anxious. I wasn¡¯t sure how I left my apartment. I know when I don¡¯t expect people to come to my house, I can leave it in a bit of a mess, but It¡¯s too late now. I will have to run in and clean up as much as I can before he sees anything. I don¡¯t know what to expect with him tonight, but I do know what I wanted. I had Min Jun park in the visitor¡¯s parking spot in the garage. I had never had a visitor, so I never had to use it, but it felt good that I actually had a visitor to use the space, finally.


    Min Jun and I walked hand in hand from the garage to the main lobby. It wasn¡¯t too late, but it was very quiet in the building opposite from its normal hustle and bustle of the day. I pushed the call button for the elevator and waited as the elevator came. Min Jun pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head in his chest and smelled his cologne. He always smelled good. I could feel him put his head atop of mine as we waited. There we stood in a short embrace as the elevator doors opened, waiting for us to enter. We stepped in the elevator still holding hands. I pushed the button for floor 11 and stood back next to Min Jun as the doors closed.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve come to your apartment.¡± He said as we traveled up to my floor.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I hope my place isn¡¯t messy. Please forgive me if it is. I didn¡¯t plan for anyone to come over.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m excited just to be invited.¡± He said, looking down at me. He touched my nose and smiled. I tilted my head on his arm as we stood side by side at the back of the elevator. It seemed like forever to get to the 11th floor. Finally, the doors opened and we walked off the elevator and down to my apartment, 1137. Min Jun stopped and stared at my apartment and pointed at the number.


    ¡°This is your apartment?¡± He said smiling.


    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s wrong?¡± I didn¡¯t know if there was an issue or not.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± He said, stepping back and pulling out his phone. He took a picture of my door.


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°Do you believe in fate?¡± He asked. He couldn¡¯t believe something about my address.


    ¡°Yes, I do. I believe everything happens for a reason. Why do you ask? What is the deal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I live on the 11th floor. My apartment is 1137.¡± He said. I immediately got chills. It was fate. We were destined to meet. I truly believe it to be true. What are the chances?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± I said, opening the door.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t pay attention when you were over to my place?¡± He asked, following me into my apartment.


    ¡°Well given the fact that I was totally intoxicated when I was there, didn¡¯t help. And to be honest, I didn¡¯t pay attention when I left.¡± I said, taking off my shoes. I gave Min Jun pair of house shoes to wear as I slid my house shoes on.


    ¡°That is true. I agree that everything happens for a reason. I can honestly say that I got goosebumps when I saw your apartment number. It¡¯s fate.¡± He said, following me into the kitchen.


    ¡°I believe so too.¡± I said standing before him. He looked down at me and took off his coat. I took his coat and hung it up nearest the doorway on the coat rack. I removed mine and hung it on the next hook.


    Min Jun was walking around my apartment, checking out my decor and looking at my pictures. My apartment wasn¡¯t huge, it was larger than some apartments I¡¯ve seen, but it was enough for at least two people to live comfortably and not feel cramped. I went into my bedroom to gather some clothes for bedtime. I decided to take my shower first so I could let Min Jun take his shower after, which would give me time to set the mood. I didn¡¯t have a real plan, but I wanted to take us to the next level. I had feelings for him and tonight kind of solidified it for me. He was going to be with me and he was going to support me in whatever I¡¯m going through.


    I decided to blow dry my hair and show Min Jun how versatile it was. My hair is what Black people would call, ¡®Good Hair¡¯. It was fine yet with soft curls. It wasn¡¯t as coarse as some other Black women¡¯s hair, but I still had to worry about humidity. I made sure my hair was as straight as possible, even though I knew my hair may not be the same way tomorrow morning. He had never seen me with straight hair and I wanted to be the diva tonight. I had a pair of jogging pants that could possibly fit him. He was tall, standing at 6¡¯3¡±, yet his body was fit. I grabbed a plain white tee shirt that I would normally sleep in, I figured he wouldn¡¯t mind wearing these to sleep in. I grabbed an extra tooth brush for him to use from my bathroom cabinet. When I returned to the living room, he was sitting on the couch flipping through tv channels. As I approached with the clothes I had for him, he looked up and put the remote control on the table. I had my sleep shirt on with his clothes in my hand.


    ¡°Cute, Thick, Educated and Black.¡± He said. He read my sleep shirt aloud. I smiled. ¡°That you are.¡± He replied. I smiled and he giggled.


    ¡°I think these should fit you. I laid out towels and a toothbrush in the bathroom for you.¡± I said handing him the clothes. He looked at me trying to figure out what was different.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said standing up and taking them. He looked through his nightly attire.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you may have to go commando tonight, I don¡¯t have guys¡¯ underwear.¡± I smiled. He blushed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll be fine with that.¡± He said, looking at me. It made me blush.


    ¡°Your hair, it¡¯s different.¡± He said pointing at my head.


    ¡°Yeah, I washed and blow dried it straight. Do you like it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± He said, running his fingers through my hair. My hair was just a little past my shoulders when straightened. ¡°Beautiful.¡± He said, looking at me. He followed me to the hallway and I pointed to the bathroom. He turned around just before he went in; he leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the lips.


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    ¡°I won¡¯t be long.¡± He smiled and entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Shit, this man is really making me fall quicker than I expected.


    I ran to my room to set the mood. I went over to my laptop on my desk in my room and pulled up Spotify. I quickly chose a selection of songs that would definitely put us in the mood. I wasn¡¯t sure how long it would be needed but I had planned to go a few rounds, well at least 3. I¡¯m sure he has the stamina to meet the request. I quickly went to turn off the tv and all the lights in the rest of the apartment. I had no plans on returning to the living room tonight. I had a few battery powered candles from Halloween and I placed them in the hallway, creating a pathway to the room from the bathroom. I placed a few candles around my room; along the window sill, on the night stands and across my room on my desk. The lighting was perfect. Then, suddenly the unexpected happened, my doorbell rang. Who the fuck could this be at this time? I wondered.


    On the way to the door, I glanced at my clock and it was only 9:30 pm, so it wasn¡¯t as late as I had thought. I went to my door and it was my neighbor, Jina. She was standing at the door holding a package and texting as usual. I heard the shower turn off, so I knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before Min Jun exited the bathroom. I needed to make this quick. I opened the door slowly to ensure she was alone. I peeped out and her face popped in the door crack quickly. She scared the shit out of me.


    ¡°Hi Juniper!¡± She always sounds excited when she sees me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. I know you have company over.¡± She said. How in the fuck does she get this information? She has thrown me off so many times; this girl really needs to be a fucking detective, or these fucking walls are too fucking thin.


    ¡°Hi Jina, you¡¯re good. What¡¯s up?¡± I responded.


    ¡°This package was put in my mailbox by accident so I figured I would give it to you when you came in. I¡¯ve been holding it on to it until I heard you come in.¡± She said handing me a small package in a manila envelope.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, I appreciate that.¡± I said taking the package. She looked as if she wanted to ask another question as she hesitated to leave.


    ¡°Um, can I ask you a question?¡± She asked, holding her phone.


    ¡°Sure. what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Is this you?¡± She asked, showing me her phone. It was the video from the studio; the one of course with Min Jun and I dancing. I was a little embarrassed but I could understand that it had gone viral. I just wasn¡¯t used to being recognized, but so far it was only those who knew me.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s me.¡± I said shyly.


    ¡°Oh my god Juniper. I didn¡¯t know you could dance!¡± She said excitedly. I should have known she would have seen it, she¡¯s always on her phone.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I used to dance back in high school.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Oh wow. And the guy you were dancing with is Hot!¡± She said, shaking her hand as if she was fanning herself to cool off.


    ¡°Um, yes. Yes, he is.¡± I said blushing and looking away. I had been at the door too long and I knew Min Jun had finished his nightly routine. I looked back in the apartment but I heard no movement. Jina saw me looking back and got the hint.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I know you have company. I will leave you be. Enjoy your night.¡± She said bowing slightly and backing up.


    ¡°Thank you Jina for the package. Good Night.¡± I said and bowed as well. I closed the door and locked it. I put the package on the hallway table and headed to the bedroom.


    As I slowly walked through the hallway, music started playing. Min Jun had beat me into completing the mood. Music always completes the mood you want. Every Kind Of Way by H.E.R. started playing as I walked into the room. He was laying on the bed waiting patiently for me to return, looking sexy as fuck. Min Jun had this way of looking so sexy in my eyes. He was laying on his back with his head resting on hands behind his head. He turned his head slightly and I just melted. His pink lips parted slightly and I saw a glimmer of his teeth; his bangs lay just above his eyes almost covering them. His glance made the heat between my legs grow hot. I stopped just a few steps from my bed. I had to check him out. He was laying with his ankles crossed just staring at me. As my eyes moved up from his feet, I saw the shape of his manhood, it was very pleasing as it was at rest. As I finally made it up to his eyes, he licked his lips and sat up. He slowly walked over to me and stood before me as he reached for my hands. He held them close to his mouth; kissing each hand slowly. He gently placed each hand on his waist and stepped closer.


    He caressed my face with soft touches, gently moving my hair off my face. He leaned down and licked my lips slowly with his tongue. I clutched his shirt and pulled him closer. I could feel his manhood move and grow. I opened my eyes and he was looking directly back at me. The song ended and the next on the playlist was the song we danced to. He kissed me deeply and I pulled him towards me as he backed me up against the wall. We kissed passionately, I closed my eyes and I was in that moment. My hips started moving to the beat, and he followed my lead. Our lips parted momentarily as we started our dance to the music. Tonight this dance was going to end differently. We looked at each other intensely as he caressed my body. His hands slowly moved across my back and down to my ass. He picked me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist and I caressed his face as he softly sang his part again. He slowly carried me over to the bed and dropped me on the bed. I sat on the end of the bed as he stood before me. He was rock hard, making a tent in the jogging pants.


    My juices started flowing and I knew it wouldn¡¯t be long. I didn¡¯t know how much more I could handle. We played this game of foreplay to build the intensity between us. I reached up and slid my hands underneath his shirt. I caressed his stomach and chest and pulled him closer as I slowly caressed his back. When he was close enough, I covered his stomach in small kisses. He pulled off his shirt and looked down at me. His skin was so smooth and hairless. He was well toned in all the right places, with a small six pack. He bit his lower lip as he ran his fingers through my hair. I untied his jogging pants and he grabbed my hands holding them in place.


    ¡°Do you have a condom?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Do you?¡± I responded. I understood the practicing of safe sex, but it wasn¡¯t something I was worried about. I hadn¡¯t been with anyone for at least 6 months therefore there was no reason for me to have any; and he didn¡¯t seem to be the type to sleep around either.


    ¡°I do not.¡± He responded.


    ¡°I understand. Do you want to stop?¡± I asked. It would be hard to stop at this point, but I would respect him either way. I¡¯m glad he was thinking about it also.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been with anyone in about 3 years, so I¡¯m not worried about me, and you don¡¯t seem like the type to just sleep around. I¡¯m just concerned about pregnancy.¡± He responded honestly. I smiled, he was cute. I loved his openness.


    ¡°No need to worry. I have an IUD. I¡¯m not ready for kids either.¡± I said looking up at him. He smiled and caressed my face. He leaned down and kissed me deeply. He finished with small kisses and a lick across my lips.


    The next song played right on time. Middle of the Night, by Elley Duhe¡¯. I kissed his stomach again as I pulled his pants down. He stepped out of the pants as his manhood stood at attention, directly in my face. I took hold of his shaft, licked the tip and realized he was more than a handful or mouthful. I looked at him and he closed his eyes as he bit his bottom lip and lowered his head back. I slowly kissed the tip and he moaned. I proceeded to give him fellatio, sucking him deep and slow as he moaned with ecstasy. I could hear him moan louder as I continued; his breathing getting heavier and heavier. I moved my hand across his stomach and over his chest; he shuddered. He grabbed my hand and kissed my fingers as I continued. He slipped my finger inside his mouth and nibbled a bit as he held the back of my head and grinded towards my mouth. He moaned louder as he lowered his head to watch me, focusing on my face. Our eyes met and his mouth was open. He had the look of lust completely over his face; his eyes rolled closed with pleasure. He looked as if he was about to explode. He moved back and released himself from my suction and grasp. He reached down and pulled my nightshirt off; I sat there on the side of the bed, in just a thong. He quickly picked me up and moved me to the middle of the bed. He slowly crawled towards me; his manhood dragging across the bed as he got closer. He reached for my thong, watching me as he slowly pulled it off.


    He spread my legs and I felt myself shudder. He came closer and leaned down and planted a small, sweet kiss at the top of my sugar canyon. I moaned, arched my back and my head fell back. He smiled and then went in again; he performed cunnilingus on me like I had never felt! I grabbed the blankets on the bed with the grip of a toddler as he munched my sweetness.


    ¡°Min Jun!¡± I moaned his name. He took his time performing; he had skills and it lasted for what seemed like forever. I moaned and closed my eyes and I experienced everything he was doing. I moaned more and more as I could feel his tongue flickering against my silky lips. I looked down and he looked like he was enjoying a fulfilling meal, eating slowly and cleaning his plate. I touched his head, grabbing a handful of hair, holding him close to me. My toes curled as I felt a finger slip deep inside me.


    ¡°Oh Shit! Min Jun!¡± My back arched and I sat up on my elbows to watch him enjoy his snack between my legs. The more he devoured me, the louder I moaned. I had to feel him inside me as he was getting me close to that point. I grabbed his hair and pulled his head up; his mouth open and glistening with wetness. He removed the excess juices from his face as he kissed my thighs, crawling up to reach me.


    He held himself above me; both of us in our natural state of nakedness. He moved between my legs; his gaze never leaving my eyes. He positioned himself and kissed me hard and I softly bit his tongue. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed his body against mine wantonly and he slowly eased into my cavern. He fit perfectly with me as we moaned in unison upon entry. He filled me completely; I craved his taste all night long. Our movement became more passionate slowly as we continued to find our groove. He kissed my neck as I kept my eyes closed and enjoyed this pleasure that I hadn¡¯t had in a LONG time. He called out my name softly with every other moan. I wrapped my arms around his body; with each stroke, I dug my fingers into his back. Pleasure relaxed itself against us as we felt the heat between us growing. I opened my eyes to watch him; I wanted to see his face when he reached his peak. We were close and our movement became more animalistic. He bit my neck and I squealed with pleasure. This man is going to make me love him hard, I thought.


    He quickly flipped me over on top of him. My hair was all over the place as he sat up, I wrapped my arms around his head and buried his face in my bosom. He kissed the twins everywhere as I put my head back and closed my eyes. He held me tightly across the small of my back, as he grabbed my ass cheek and licked each nipple separately and then pushed them together to take them both at once. He raised his legs a bit, it was as if I was riding a hobby horse. I looked down at him, he was full of pleasure, he was enjoying me and I loved the way he felt inside me. He flipped me over again, as our moans became louder. I figured Jina would know exactly what we were doing since she already knew I had someone over. Our pace increased as we rocked and moaned in unison. The faster he thrusted, our passion grew, and we got closer to our peak. I wanted us both to reach the summit and cum at the same time so I held on as much as I could, but I felt the wave coming. He leaned down and I held him tightly. He grabbed my thighs and wrapped them around his waist, he was about to reach the peak as well. We looked at each other and it happened; we both hit the summit, full of passion. I closed my eyes and we both howled like wolves at a full moon. I felt wet all over and I didn¡¯t want to move. I held him tight, him throbbing inside me, until the pleasure subsided. He looked at me, moving the hair from my face. A few curls had returned, which was to be expected with all the moisture in the room. The music was still playing and he laid on top of me, still inside.


    After a while, he slowly released himself from me and walked to the bathroom and returned with a towel. I cleaned myself and he laid down next to me, wrapping his arms around me; our legs intertwined. He smoothed my hair back as I laid on his chest, running his fingers through my hair. We were still breathing heavily but we dared not move from our position. I had to give it to Min Jun, he was just as passionate in bed as he was on the dance floor. This boy had skills. There were moments I wanted to cry, it was so good. This moment pretty much solidified our relationship. I felt him kiss my head as he tightened his grip on me. He reached over and pulled the cover over to cover us both. We laid in silence; I listened to his heartbeat through his chest. I meditated on his breathing as I made circles on his chest.


    ¡°Are you thirsty?¡± I asked. I finally broke the silence. I was enjoying just being with him.


    ¡°I am, but I don¡¯t want to move. I¡¯m enjoying holding you.¡± He said. Yup, I¡¯m falling; I¡¯m falling hard. Who is this man? Was it fate for real?


    ¡°I agree.¡± I said snuggling closer to him. He kissed my forehead and I looked up to meet his eyes. His eyelashes were so dark it looked as if he was wearing black eyeliner; the way he looked at me was sexy as fuck. He smiled and ¡®booped¡¯ my nose with his finger. I smiled and pretended to ¡®bite¡¯ it. He giggled and ¡®booped¡¯ my lips. I kissed his finger when he repeated it again. He kissed his finger and pressed it against my lips. I raised my head and balanced myself on my elbow; he looked at me and softly touched my cheek. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss upon my lips. I smelled a low hint of myself on his face.


    ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± He asked. I was waiting for that question to come about. I think everyone wants to know the result after getting laid.


    ¡°Very much so.¡± I said, he smiled. He was happy I was satisfied. ¡°How about you, did you enjoy it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Very much so.¡± He said as he tipped my chin up and gave me a small kiss. ¡°I am thirsty though. I¡¯m going to get water.¡± He said as he slowly moved his arm so I could let him get up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the jogging pants. I watched while he dressed, he had a cute, little ass. ¡°Are you thirsty too?¡± He asked as he turned around at the door.


    ¡°Yes, could you bring me a water bottle please?¡± I said reaching for my nightshirt. There was no reason for me to put the thong back on, I wanted to go for round 2.


    ¡°Sure. Back in a sec.¡± He said leaving the room. While he was in the kitchen getting water, I went to the bathroom to pee. Women are supposed to pee after sex and I was right on cue. It was a relief for me as I peed like a racehorse; or as they say in the Sims video game, I peed like a champion.

 Falling Endlessly

    Min Jun


    As I walked to the kitchen to get bottled water, I was in my thoughts, Juniper and I had just made love. It was magical; I smiled as I could still hear her moans, it made my dick move just thinking about it. It was full of passion, like I had never had with anyone. She was so sweet when I tasted her; she called my name with ecstasy across her lips. Her brown skin felt like satin against my skin as we mixed our love juices. She was making me fall deep in love with her. I wasn¡¯t prepared for this, I didn¡¯t plan for my feelings to grow so quick; I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m responding accurately. I blushed just thinking about the way she looks at me, so sensual and lovingly, she looked as if she could devour me.


    When she took my manhood across her lips, I felt her warm tongue glide across my shaft which made me shake. I felt so weak in my knees, I wanted to pass out as she sucked me deep into her mouth. Fortunately I kept it together and it was amazing. I never had fellatio like that, no one took the time to actually enjoy it as much as I felt she did. I was getting hard again standing in the kitchen, remembering what she did to my body. I wanted her again, I wanted to feel inside her again. I grabbed a few water bottles and a cup of ice. I had plans for that as it was my turn to take control.


    Fate really stepped into my life when I least expected it and planted Juniper on my path. As I passed the bathroom, I heard the toilet flushing and water running. I stopped, the water shut off and the door opened. Juniper was standing there drying her hands; she was absolutely beautiful. She had straightened her hair, which looked like long golden strands of thread. She looked at me and smiled, I returned the gesture and gave her a small kiss. I handed her a water bottle and she walked towards the bedroom. Music was still playing in the background, as we had just parted for only a moment. I wanted to feel her again but I didn¡¯t want to just ask if we could do it. I wanted to put her in a mood that would allow us to simply get there on our own.


    ¡°Do you mind if I change the music?¡± I asked, placing the water bottles and ice on the dresser.


    ¡°Sure, help yourself.¡± She smiled and watched me for a minute. ¡°What¡¯s the ice for?¡± She asked. ¡°Later.¡± I replied, smiling slyly. She leaned back on the bed, drinking her water. I searched Spotify for various songs that I knew would set the mood. I had always wanted to play a few of them when I was with someone intimately, but I never had the right person to make the effort so I never created a playlist. I set a playlist on her Spotify titled, Min Jun¡¯s Love Playlist, it was self explanatory.


    I sat on the side of the bed next to Juniper and downed the entire bottle of water. I was thirsty. We were sweating when we finished our love making and I had to replenish my liquids. I pulled her feet over to my lap and massaged her toes.


    ¡°Ooo, that feels good.¡± She said as she closed her eyes. I gently massaged both of her feet, kneading them with my fingers. I reached over to the dresser, picked a piece of ice out of the cup and slipped in my mouth. This was the moment for me to take control of the situation. I pressed play on the playlist and music began with John Legend¡¯s Speak In Tongues.


    I scooted closer to her, steadily massaging her feet, moving periodically up her legs. With her eyes closed, I kissed her ankle with the ice I was holding in my mouth. She opened her eyes and looked at me. I bent her knee so I could kiss the top of her foot. She watched me as I opened my mouth slightly, holding the ice between my teeth as sIid the ice along her foot down to her toes. She had the most beautiful feet, with a nice pedicure and I knew that the foot has many nerves that could stimulate a person sexually.


    I slowly took her small toe inside my mouth and sucked on it with the ice cube. She squealed, giggled and tried to pull her foot away from me, but I had already anticipated her every move. I took her other leg and spread it far apart from each other. My soldier moved in my jogging pants, he was getting prepared for the next mission. I released her toe from my mouth, gave a nibble to the side of her foot and she laid her head back against the pillow. She was trying hard to resist but I knew she would tell me when I finally hit the spot. I stood up, grabbed the cup of ice and brought it to the nightstand nearest the side of the bed.


    ¡°Move to the middle of the bed.¡± I softly demanded. Juniper moved uncontested. She watched as I slipped another ice cube in my mouth and returned to the bed.


    I started at the top of the other foot, kissing and sliding the ice along it in circles. I could see the ice melt as the water drops slid down her foot. I traveled North slowly to my destination with the end result of me claiming my territory with my flagpole. As I slowly kissed her left leg, I had the ice slide across her hot skin as the droplets of water made their own destination. She moved each time I kissed the excess moisture. I didn¡¯t want the other leg to be left out so I took hold of her knees and parted them. I sat in front of her between her legs on my knees as I crawled closer; I kissed her right knee and it fell to the side. I crawled closer to my destination; watching her reactions along the way. The ice has melted within my mouth so I decided to plant wet kisses along the way with the help of my tongue. I planted a wet kiss on her inner thigh, my tongue circling a figure 8 which resulted in her raising her knees and planting her feet directly on the bed, legs wide open. I reached for her hands and pulled her up to the sitting position. I reached for the bottom of her night shirt and lifted over her head to reveal her sexy, caramel brown body in her birthday suit. I leaned over and gave her a playful bite on her neck, holding her head so she wouldn¡¯t move back. As I grazed my teeth across her neck, she let out a soft moan as she reached for the waist of my pants. She was ready, she was telling me she wanted me without words.


    I leaned back and raised my knee as I slipped out my left leg, followed by the right. My soldier was standing at attention, ready for the mission he was called for. She looked at me and planted a deep kiss on my mouth, me tasting her tongue inside my mouth as he grabbed the back of my head. I loved kissing her, it was always so passionate. I would have never thought we would have gotten to this point when I met her. I didn¡¯t think she would even give me a chance and here I am, tasting her flavor across my lips. I quickly grabbed her thighs and pulled her further down on the bed as she fell back on the bed. I hovered above her cavern; me remembering the sweetness was amazing and warm. She was sweet and juicy as a peach, leaving me wanting more with each taste. I lowered my lips to the entrance, she moaned as I laid down sideways on the bed. My soldier was throbbing and at full attention which wouldn¡¯t allow me to lay directly on my stomach. She moved and moaned with each taste of every drip.


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    The more I explored, the louder she wailed. When I decided to explore further with my tongue, I felt a warm wetness wrapped around my trooper; she had enlisted him to take on his own search mission. I felt her tongue wrapping around my shaft, searching as my serviceman was slowly taken into her mouth. As we laid next to each other making sure each other were feeling the pleasure of the other, muffled cries of fulfillment filled the air. We laid enjoying each other moment by moment, caressing each other as I could myself feel myself getting harder and going to the next level. Our movements started to become animalistic as the passion between us grew hotter. She made me feel as though I was the most important man in the world based on how she was pleasing me. I threw my head back at one point in which I had to watch; I had to fight the urge to tell her that I loved her. I knew lust was definitely present in the air as we were intertwined with love, lust and passion as a fine line between all of them. I finished kissing her soul deeply as I moved to release myself from her lips. The next song began to play, which was exactly what we needed to hear given the fact we had both reached the point of no return.


    Music has always been a part of my life, especially when dancing, as it sets the mood perfectly if you find just the right song. We had been listening to a variety of music tonight and we weren¡¯t ready to go to sleep. I decided to add a few throwbacks on my playlist, I¡¯m sure she knows about them as a person who loves music and dance; some of the good ones were made before we were old enough to do the things we were doing at the moment. The music starts slowly and I hear Tyrese whisper, ¡°This is for all my love makers. Sit back and relax, and let me take you there.¡± The song, On Top Of Me, sets the mood perfectly as it was exactly where I wanted her, I wanted her to ride me.


    I laid down atop of her between her legs and kissed her softly. She was moving her legs to position herself just underneath her but I refused to move. Then she tried reaching my manhood to guide him along but I quickly grabbed her hands and laced my fingers with her. I continued kissing her until she relaxed, and stopped trying to take control of the situation. I wanted to keep all of the control as I was giving myself to her and I wanted her to want me so badly that she couldn¡¯t resist. I kissed her neck and nibbled her earlobe between my teeth. She caressed my back as she moved with each bite. I kissed her twins separately and then together; her eyes rolled back as she ran her fingers through my hair.


    I finally had gotten to the point in which I, myself, couldn¡¯t resist. I placed her legs around my waist and she wrapped her arms around my neck.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± I whispered. She tightened her grip and I flipped over on my back, with her landing up top. I reached up and caressed her face and she leaned down and passionately kissed me. We parted with small, sweet kisses. I looked lovingly at her and she at me. I know what lust feels like, and yes, it was present. But I also know how love feels as well. I know I didn¡¯t want her to be with anyone else, ever again. I didn¡¯t want anyone to make her cry anymore. I didn¡¯t want her to have to deal with the difficulties of life alone as I wanted her to be by her side so we could face adversity together. I wanted her to know that I will be the man she will always be able to depend on and I will always be there when she needs me. I looked at her intensely as she held herself over my member.


    ¡°Juniper,¡± She looked at me. ¡°I am all yours.¡± I stated softly.


    ¡°And I belong to you and only you.¡± She softly responded as she touched my face. I sat up on my elbows and she leaned down to kiss me deeply. We kissed as I felt my manhood slowly pass through the lips of her cavern, to explore its depths.


    My mouth opened as a slow groan echoed from deep within my soul. I held her close to me as we moved simultaneously to the music. It was as if we were dancing laying down. I smoothed her hair to the back of her head and held it all in one hand. She arched her back as I held her ass in place. I can honestly say that after tonight, I am totally whipped. I am fully hers. I give myself to her to be her playground as much as she would like to play. I wanted to experience everything with her and I¡¯m sure she felt the same. I let go of her hair. She looked down at me with so much love in her eyes, she looked as if she was going to cry. I wrapped my arms around her waist and she rode me as if she was riding the little playground horses with the huge spring at the bottom; her hips swaying in what felt like a figure 8. She wailed louder as ecstasy filled her body. She was close to reaching her peak.


    She slowed down to control it, but I had the advantage in the position I was in, and this go around I wanted to give all of myself to her and I wanted her to tell me when I reached the Gorgeous spot location hidden deep inside her.


    ¡°Min Jun.¡± She softly said as she leaned down; her lips close to my ear. I grabbed her ass and took control.


    ¡°Yes Jagiya?¡± I responded.


    ¡°Take me.¡± She whispered. That was all I needed to hear. I had permission to take full control. She handed over the reins and I knew how to drive. We were panting as it seemed as though the room became a sauna. Sweat was dripping from our bodies, we would most definitely need a shower after this. She may need to change the bedding as well. Once I took control, I felt as though I couldn''t breathe. I thrusted deep inside her as I could until both of us reached the summit simultaneously; ironically there was no sound this time as we both completely lost control. There was nothing else we could do but ride the pleasure wave to ecstasy. When the ride finally subsided, she collapsed on my chest and I was absolutely done. I had nothing left. I didn¡¯t want to move at all. I reached for the covers and pulled them over us both, Juniper was still on top of me and me still inside throbbing. I just held her, enjoying this moment that I had never had before.


    We laid there in silence, not needing to say a word to each other. I ran my fingers through her hair; her hair was drenched which revealed the return of a few curls. I was content holding her as I enjoyed it very much. I closed my eyes just to bask in the moment of being able to hold her close to me as well as bask in the glory of being her boyfriend. This may have happened quickly, but some opportunities happen quickly. Not that we couldn¡¯t have waited to be intimate with each other, we could have. But the way I think about it, we are both adults and life is short, I¡¯m sure there have been people who have become intimate with others sooner than this. At least I know for a fact that feelings are involved in this relationship. I¡¯ll admit we started off quickly, but getting the obvious out of the way allows us to grow in other areas together.


    As I lay there thinking about having to go to work tomorrow, I wished we had waited until the weekend for us to have completed this step. However I wouldn¡¯t change a thing as it would be so clich¨¦ to try and plan a weekend of intimacy. I just would have loved to be able to sleep in with her and not have to get up and go our separate ways to our normal, daily lives; that¡¯s where the weekend would have been better. I started drifting off to sleep as the next song, Day 1 by HONNE began to play. I closed my eyes as I heard him singing, ¡® I got lucky finding you. I won big the day I came across you.¡¯ It was true, I got very lucky running into her at the coffee shop that day. Thank You Caleb, I thought. Thank you for royally fucking up so she could find her true soulmate. The last thing I heard was a little snore from Juniper as she laid on my chest. I smiled and kissed the top of her head. I relaxed holding her and welcomed sleep.

 Morning After - Part 1 & 2

    Juniper (Part 1)


    Morning came as my alarm startled me awake. Min Jun and I were still naked, wrapped in each other''s arms underneath the covers. I reached over to my nightstand to turn off my alarm, Min Jun moved and pulled me closer to him.


    ¡°Not yet, I don¡¯t want to move.¡± He held me close to his warm body.


    ¡°I know, but we have to go to work.¡± I said turning around to face him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were so sexy and cute. He poked his lips out wanting a kiss. I scooted over and planted a kiss upon his lips.


    ¡°Good morning Juni.¡± He said. I smiled as he called me by my nickname. I loved hearing him call my name. Even though he speaks English very well, I love to hear his accent when he speaks. I love the way he calls me Juni.


    ¡°Good Morning Min Juni.¡± He looked at me and smiled. I gave him a nickname which was a blend of our names.


    ¡°No, you have to find something else to call me.¡± He said laying his head on hand as he turned to his side.


    ¡°How about Aein or Aegiya? He blushed and turned away. He sat up and pulled the covers up to his waist. I moved closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder.


    ¡°Call me either one of those, I will be happy.¡±


    ¡°Okay Aegiya.¡± He snickered and kissed my forehead.


    ¡°How are you feeling this morning?¡± He asked. I smiled as I held the covers over my chest. I didn¡¯t have to think about that answer.


    ¡°Happy.¡± Simple as that. No need to complicate things.


    ¡°Me too.¡± He replied. My alarm went off again, apparently I only hit the snooze button. It was a snap back to reality. We had to get ready to depart and go our separate ways. He had to go to work and so did I. Even though our night was over, I didn¡¯t want to leave just yet. He reached out and laced his fingers with mine. I looked up at him and he glanced at me. He kissed my forehead, then nose and finally my lips. I let go of his hand to touch his face as we kissed. I didn¡¯t want this to end, I was addicted. But it was inevitable, we have things we have to do. I really couldn¡¯t wait until the weekend. We finally slowed our kissing session to a halt as we actually had to start moving.


    ¡°Go shower, I will take you to work.¡± He said.


    ¡°What about you? You have to go to your place to get clothes before you have to go to work. You won¡¯t have time to take me to work, otherwise you will be late.¡± I said, he didn¡¯t like it because I was right. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can take the train to work. I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°I want to take you to work.¡± He said pouting.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you¡¯ll be late.¡± I said, not wanting to go to work at all.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡± He said.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll miss you too.¡± We were both addicted. Last night was amazing. We had taken our new relationship to an entirely different level, quickly. But we are both consenting adults who can make our own choices.


    ¡°Go. Go shower. I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°You want to take a shower with me?¡± I offered, his eyes grew larger.


    ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t.¡± He said reaching for his jogging pants and searching for his shirt.


    ¡°Why?¡± I said putting on my nightshirt.


    ¡°Because we would never go to work.¡± He said smiling. He had no self control as he turned around and he was making a tent in his pants.


    ¡°Damn Aegiya.¡± He laughed and covered his smile with his hand shyly.


    ¡°See?¡± I went to take a shower while he waited.


    Min Jun wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer, so I let him drop me off at the train station and he left to get himself ready. I definitely had a bit more pep in my step this morning, everything that has happened has been so surreal. My phone buzzed as I waited for the train to arrive. It was Chanel calling.


    ¡°Hey girl, good morning Sunshine!¡± I said it was a little too chippy.


    ¡°Oh shit, yeah your ass got laid last night.¡± She responded.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Girl puh-lease. You ass sound like you are painting sunflowers and spitting rainbows everywhere.¡± She said as she heard the happiness in my voice.


    ¡°Shit, I need to calm that down, huh?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, it¡¯s all good. I¡¯m glad you got some pipe last night. How do you feel? How was it?¡± She asked. I¡¯m not one to kiss and tell, but I had to tell her. She was my best friend in the entire world and we have shared every moment with each other.


    ¡°Girl, it was amazing. Oh my goodness girl, I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    ¡°Was he hung?¡± Chanel asked, she always wants to know how ¡®blessed¡¯ a guy is. I completely understand, a girl has to know what she gotta work with.


    ¡°Girl!¡± I hesitated as I closed my eyes and visually saw Min Jun standing in front of me.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Baby arm.¡± I responded. She knew exactly what I meant.


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    ¡°Damn for real? But did a brotha know how to use it? You know it¡¯s not about the size, it¡¯s how you use it.¡±


    ¡°Girl, he left me fucking weak. He is as good in bed as he is on the dance floor.¡± I answered. I got goosebumps just thinking about it.


    ¡°Oh shit! Damn girl, congrats.¡± She said, we both laughed at the description. ¡°So are you going to see him tonight?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t make plans for later, but I¡¯m sure he probably would want to have dinner, however nothing has been discussed. Why, wassup?¡±


    ¡°I was just asking. I would say let¡¯s hang out tonight but I¡¯m going to bed. I didn¡¯t go home last night. Se-ra and Taehyung wanted to go out and hit a club or two since it was early. Girl, I can¡¯t be hanging with them, they had me out until 1 am and I had a meeting for a site at 6 am. I¡¯m fucking tired. I¡¯ve been running since 5 am. I told Se-ra that I would hang out with her this weekend though, I like her, she¡¯s cool as fuck. I see why you like her.¡± She responded.


    ¡°She is nice and really fucking cool. So you guys hung out last night, well I¡¯m glad you got a chance to meet some of the people I hang out with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they were pretty cool. Well I just called to make sure you weren''t dead. I¡¯ll holla at you later.¡±


    ¡°Ok, have a good day. I¡¯ll call you later.¡± We hung up the phone and the train arrived. I quickly boarded the train and grabbed a seat nearest to the door. My body was feeling the effects of our love making session last night. I felt weak in the knees and my body felt drained.


    I might just stay in tonight, and work on my game since I have that opportunity that Se-ra told me about. I planned on sending in my resume soon, I wanted to have something ready so they could see my skills. Should I get the position, I will miss hanging out with Se-ra during lunch, but we would still get a chance to hang out, I wasn¡¯t going anywhere, we just wouldn¡¯t see each other everyday. By the time I got to the office, I was exhausted. Last night¡¯s activities were taking a toll on me, it seemed as though I walked slower and slower as I walked through the door. When I finally got the moment to sit down at my desk, I was ready to go home for a nap. Se-ra was at her desk, feeling the effects of her late night escapades. She waved at me from across the office, I called her extension because I didn¡¯t feel like getting up after my walk from the train station.


    ¡°Hi there, how¡¯s it going?¡± I laughed a bit. She leaned from behind her computer and looked at me. I giggled.


    ¡°I should have gone home last night. I¡¯m so tired.¡±


    ¡°I heard. Chanel is feeling it too.¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed after work. I told her we could hang this weekend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the plan. I need to get started on some prototypes for my game just in case the software company contacts me. I planned on sending my resume soon.¡±


    ¡°Ooo good, yes please send it. My brother keeps asking about you and if I have applied yet. I told him that I will let him know when you send it. He said he will look out for it so he can push your resume forward for you. So having something to show your skills would be a perfect addition.¡± She said.


    ¡°Perfect. Well, let¡¯s meet up at lunch so we can get some work done, especially since I just came in. ¡° She agreed and we disconnected. I buried my head in my work for the rest of the day and didn¡¯t come up until it was time to leave. Se-ra and I decided to work through our lunch to get the opportunity to leave a bit early, so we took advantage of the situation and left an hour before closing. I headed directly home, thinking of only my bed.


    Min Jun (Part 2)


    After I dropped Juniper off at the train station, I headed back to my place to take a shower and get fresh clothes for work. While I was in the shower, I kept getting visions of my night with Juniper. It was special and it kept replaying in my mind like a movie. It was so surreal. So many things have happened, I was having an issue keeping up. Not only is Juniper my girlfriend, we made love last night. It was absolutely amazing. I loved waking up with her this morning, I didn¡¯t want to leave her at all. Today was the first day, I really wanted to call out of work. I had to shake off that feeling and get my shit together, I¡¯ll see her later hopefully. We didn¡¯t make plans to meet up later tonight, which was okay. I didn¡¯t want her to get tired of me and we would have plenty of time to spend with each other. With this being a work week, it may be hard since we have jobs that may change at a drop of a hat. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to rush anything more than we have already rushed. I figured catching up with her over the weekend would be better and it would give us time to miss each other as well, even though I already miss her.


    As I walked in the office building to the elevator lobby, I smiled as I was thinking about her calling me Aegiya. That made me feel special in so many ways. She could use it in English or Korean, it would mean the same, I¡¯m her ¡®baby¡¯. I decided to call her ¡®Naekkeo¡¯, my ¡®sweetheart¡¯ as she is ¡®mine¡¯ or Jagiya, that¡¯s fine too as she is my ¡®babe¡¯. I was going through the motions and didn¡¯t notice I had actually reached my office until Jin greeted me at the door.


    ¡°You seem out of it, how was your night?¡± He said walking back with me to my desk.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, just thinking about a few things. So how was your night?¡± I asked to get the conversation off of me.


    ¡°It was pleasant. I had Chanel¡¯s driver drop me off but Taehyung told me that he, Chanel and Se-ra decided to hang out a bit more. He didn¡¯t get home until 2 am. Now he¡¯s dragging through the office. ¡° Jin said as I sat down at my desk. I put my head down on the desk as I was feeling the effects big time. ¡°What¡¯s with you? Did you and Juniper go out too?¡± He was totally clueless but he would never do a lot of the things I would.


    Jin is a nice guy but he¡¯s a bit timid and shy therefore he wouldn¡¯t do a lot of things I would because of this. So he wouldn¡¯t have gotten to a girl as close as I have in such a short amount of time. However, I do enjoy seeing his reactions, it''s as if he is living life vicariously through me.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. We stayed in. I spent the night at Juniper¡¯s last night.¡± His eyes grew and I laughed at his reaction.


    ¡°Are you serious? You stayed at her place? What did you guys do?¡± He asked, I didn¡¯t answer, I just looked at him with a look for him to figure out. He looked confused at first and then his face changed to total shock. ¡°Are you serious?¡± He said excitedly. I still didn¡¯t answer. I just gave a smirk and turned my computer on. ¡°Oh come on, did you?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°Did I do what?¡± I asked, pretending as if I didn¡¯t know what he was asking.


    ¡°You know? Did you?¡± He tried not to ask in so many details.


    ¡°Are you asking if we were intimate?¡± I asked, as I was looking over documents.


    ¡°Yes, did you?¡± He asked, hanging on my every word.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that private?¡± I asked messing with him. He backed down realizing that he was asking for personal information.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t be asking such personal questions. But I didn¡¯t ask for details, I just wanted to know if you, you know?¡± He asked again. I was going to let him know, not in detail but I was going to inform him, I just like to see him squeal a bit. He was looking so uncomfortable asking but the curiosity was getting the better of him. He kept trying to keep his voice low and kept looking over the cubicle to see if anyone was listening or even in earshot of our conversation.


    ¡°Yes, I know. If you must know,¡± I said, turning towards him and leaning in. ¡°Yes, we were intimate. Very intimate.¡± I said slyly, with raised eyebrows to put the emphasis on how interesting my night was with Juniper.


    I left with him only those words and his eyes lit up huge with astonishment. He covered his mouth as if he was shy to hear the words. I leaned back and began my work. Jin was so shocked, he didn¡¯t know how to respond. I¡¯m sure he had plenty of questions, but he didn¡¯t want to ask. I could tell he was creating scenarios within his mind however he wouldn¡¯t ever speak a word. Just that bit of information kept Jin busy for the rest of the day. The last time Jin didn¡¯t say anything to me for the rest of the day, was the day he was sick and he left early. The information that I gave him, really did a number on him. I could only imagine what he was thinking. Every now and then, I would see him staring at me with his face looking as if he wanted to ask so many questions but he dared to speak a word. He would just turn his head and go back quietly to his work. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll hear about it later, when the shock has subsided.

 Somebodys Watching

    MinJun


    The rest of the week flew by and the weekend was finally upon me. Juniper was busy during the week so we decided to meet up on the weekend so we could have time to actually spend some quality time with each other. It was a long week and I really wanted to see Juniper, even though we had a few video chats during the week however it wasn¡¯t the same as I wanted to see her in person. I picked her up from work and we headed over to my place as I had planned to make dinner for Juniper. I wanted to show her my other skills, skills other than the ones I have in the bedroom or on the dance floor.


    We decided to stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner. I know she loves Tteobokki so I wanted to make my special recipe. We picked up a few things to eat just in case we got hungry later on so we wouldn¡¯t have to come back out to pick up extra.


    ¡°Can we get some ramen as well?¡± She asked, holding my hand while placing her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°Of course, I just need to get a package of fish cakes as well for dinner.¡± I said as I was looking at the selections on display. ¡°Is there a particular flavor you want?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I want spicy and I want to try the fire chicken flavor also.¡± She said.


    ¡°Ok. So you like it spicy huh?¡± I played with her.


    ¡°Yeah, I like it hot.¡± She bumped me with her hip. I giggled. I was really enjoying our time out together as we hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to just really relax with each other honestly. Things went a little fast earlier in the week, and we wanted to slow it down a bit and enjoy being with each other away from everyone and out of the bed.


    ¡°I know you do.¡± I replied. She laughed and covered her mouth. I put my arm around her as she helped me push the cart around the store. We picked up a basket of strawberries and grapes. Juniper also found the ramen she wanted as we were hitting the snack aisle.


    Juniper was happy like a kid on Christmas in America. I was happy to see her smile and not have a care in the world. I was able to find the rice cakes, gochujang(red pepper paste), gochugaru(red pepper flakes) and anchovy stock to make her meal as authentic as possible. I already had the remaining ingredients at home.


    ¡°Is there anything else you would like?¡± I asked as I picked up the remaining items.


    ¡°Well I would like some chicken as well if you don¡¯t mind.¡± She responded. I looked at her and she smiled. I turned to her and I planted a small kiss on her lips. She smiled and stepped closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her and we held our embrace. I placed my chin on top of her head and tickled her; she squealed and pulled away. I laughed and she smiled. I pushed the cart toward the check out while she wrapped her arms around my waist from behind. She walked behind me stepping in unison with my steps. I loved her playful side. She made me blush the way she was in touch with her child inside. I was happy we decided to stay home instead of hanging out with the others.


    ¡°Juniper, do you want ice cream?¡± I asked. She let go of my waist and walked beside me.


    ¡°Do you want ice cream? I would like Yakgwa (Honey pastry) if possible.¡±


    ¡°Oooo, yes. I haven¡¯t had those in a long time.¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you have kimchi at home?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Of course, my mother makes sure I¡¯m fully stocked.¡± I answered.


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    ¡°Awesome. I think that is all we need. I think we covered everything.¡± She said.


    We headed for the check out. Juniper laced her fingers with mine as we waited in line. She leaned her head on my arm as she held onto my hand. I leaned over and gave her a quick peck atop her head. She looked up and puckered her lips; I leaned down and gave her a kiss. She was so open and affectionate. I let go of the cart and wrapped my arms around her. Then I heard the strangest noise, I heard a shutter flash. Someone had taken a picture but I didn¡¯t see where they were. I didn¡¯t want to freak her out so I didn¡¯t say anything immediately. I hoped we would pay for our groceries before someone came forward. She held me and looked up and I planted small kisses all over her face. I heard the noise again but I didn¡¯t see where it was coming from. I know she would probably be nervous if she had known so I wanted to hurry to pay and get her out of the store as quickly as possible.


    We finally got out of the store and stopped to pick up a variety of chicken boxes then headed for my place. We picked up enough things to eat to keep us going the entire weekend, even though we had made plans to hang out with the others tomorrow. We pulled into the parking lot and into the parking space. The parking lot had a few people coming and going as we grabbed the groceries from the car. We walked to the elevator lobby, with a few people waiting for the elevator to open. I noticed a few of my neighbors and quietly acknowledged them. We were loaded down with bags but we managed to grab everything we needed. Juniper also had her computer bag with her as well. She informed me that she had the opportunity to apply for a game development position, which I thought was great. I remembered some of the pictures she had pointed out at her place that she created. She¡¯s a good artist.


    The elevator finally arrived and we piled on and stood in the back. I didn¡¯t expect for the elevator to get crowded but at the last minute a random girl jumped on just before the doors closed. She didn¡¯t push the floor so I assumed it was already chosen. She had her hoodie pulled up over her head so I couldn¡¯t see her face or hair, however I did notice she had a wide band around her neck that resembled a camera strap. I wondered if this was the person who was taking pictures at the grocery store. Was I being followed? I didn¡¯t want Juniper to know, if I was. Suddenly I got jolted with the thought of Samantha having someone follow me. If so, that meant she knew about Juniper. I didn¡¯t want to make a scene so I silently waited to see if the person would stay on the elevator until we went to our floor. I kept my eyes on the back of her head as people started piling out of the elevator on the 3rd floor. There were still a few people on the elevator and we had 3 more floors chosen, 7th floor, 10th floor and ours - the 11th floor.


    Two people exited the elevator on the 7th and 2 exited on the 10th, with the girl in the hoodie being one of them. I exhaled with relief that she wasn¡¯t getting off on my floor. The elevator doors opened; we walked off and headed for my apartment.


    ¡°Wow, Min Jun, this is a really nice building.¡± Juniper said as we walked down the hallway.


    ¡°Thanks, I lucked up and got the apartment when I landed my job, just after my service duty.¡± I said. We reached my apartment, Juniper and I placed the bags on the floor so I could dial in the code. Juniper looked outside the windows at the views from the building. I walked over to join her in admiring the view.


    ¡°It''s so beautiful.¡± She said looking around outside.


    ¡°Yes you are.¡± I said looking directly at her. She blushed and turned towards me. I held her face in my hands and kissed her softly. She held my jacket as she pulled me towards her. We kissed slowly and smiled. It had been a while since we had seen each other. I missed her, I was happy to have her stay with me as I was looking forward to spending time with her. As we kissed, I heard clicks again. I opened my eyes and I could have sworn I saw someone at the end of the hallway, but when I turned to look, no one was there. Juniper noticed my reaction.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± She asked, looking in the direction I was.


    ¡°Um, yeah, I thought I saw someone coming down the hallway.¡± I lied, I didn¡¯t want to make her nervous. I hope Samantha didn¡¯t send someone to follow me, but then again, she had already known too much info on me as far as my job and the dance studio.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see anyone. You are very distracting.¡± She said smiling. I blushed and smiled. We picked up the bags and entered my apartment. I hope no one had followed me home. It made me want to contact Samantha and ask, but I hadn¡¯t responded to her about me helping her channel. I figured since our video was leaked, I¡¯m sure she had seen it. I worried about what her next step would be.

 Worst Nightmare - Part 1 & 2

    MinJun


    Saturday finally came with unexpected results. It started out great, Juniper and I made breakfast in the morning; took a walk around the park for a while, went to a movie and had lunch before she went home to do some work. We decided to meet up later with the others for dinner.


    As I was lounging around at home, Jin called frantically.


    ¡°Have you seen the latest video?¡± He said when I answered the phone.


    ¡°What do you mean latest video?¡± I asked opening my laptop and turn it on.


    ¡°It¡¯s a video of you and Juniper outside the restaurant. It shows her getting out of the car, then you and her kissing in front of the restaurant. People are fascinated and they want to know who she is.¡± Jin said. I found a few videos online titled, ¡®Min Jun''s Mystery Woman¡¯; comments were asking who this mystery woman was as she had taken my heart.


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± I said, looking at all of the videos that were posted of Juniper and I. The most were posted on the KPopPrincess channel. This was the same channel that broke the news about Juniper the first time at the studio.


    The hairs on my neck stood up as I recognized this channel. Something in my gut was telling me that Samantha had to be behind all of this, but I had no proof. I needed to talk to her but I didn¡¯t want her to drill me about Juniper or do anything stupid.


    ¡°Do you think Juniper knows?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, not yet anyway. I think I know who is behind this but I can say for certain.¡± I stated.


    ¡°Samantha.¡± Jin said and chills ran through my body.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I just have a feeling. If she isn¡¯t doing it, someone she knows is.¡±


    ¡°I believe so too.¡± My mind was racing so fast I couldn¡¯t comprehend. What was she up to? ¡°I believe she is having me followed.¡± I finally admitted.


    ¡°What? How do you know?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°When Juniper and I were out shopping yesterday, I kept hearing someone taking pictures of us. I kept hearing a shutter flash. And then again in my apartment building, I could have sworn someone followed us.¡± I answered.


    ¡°What? Oh my goodness. What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Juniper?¡± Jin asked. I really didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling Juniper, unless she finds out before I find out who is behind it.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about calling Samantha and asking her if she¡¯s been having someone follow me.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she would actually tell you the truth?¡± Jin stated. He was right, even if she was behind it, would she really tell me? Probably not. I needed to find a way to get her to talk and let her guard down.


    ¡°Well whatever you do, I think you should tell Juniper before she finds out.¡± Jin said.


    ¡°To be honest, when she found out about the other video, she handled it pretty well. She knows that I¡¯m noticed and still have some fans here and there, maybe I could go that route until I find out if Samantha is behind it.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Maybe, but how are you going to find out?¡± He asked; I didn¡¯t have a clue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I need to talk to Samantha.¡± I said. I really didn¡¯t want to, but I had to call her. She had a way of finding out where I worked and now where I lived, I didn¡¯t need her to just pop up somewhere when I was out with Juniper.


    ¡°Be careful, Min Jun, I just don¡¯t trust her.¡± Jin said. I took his advice into consideration, I needed to watch my back, but I needed to find out who was watching my back for her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later Jin. I need to talk to Samantha.¡± We disconnected and I looked for Samantha¡¯s number. I was about to send her a text message but decided against it. I¡¯ll contact her tomorrow as I didn¡¯t want to start the evening off in a bad mood.


    Juniper


    A bunch of us met up at Doma for some Korean Barbeque. Chanel had her driver pick up Jong-dae, Jin and Mindi, a girl who Min Jun said Jin has a crush on who also works with them, while I rode with Min Jun. Taehyung picked up Se-ra and met us at the restaurant. Alex and Sara joined us as well to make it one big party. It was exciting to be out with good friends enjoying each other¡¯s company. I hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to eat Korean Barbeque and with this being Chane¡¯s first time in Seoul, they were trying to show her the best places. It was great for me as well because I would be able to venture out to new places. Hopefully, when Chanel moves here, we would be more familiar with our surroundings to find new places.


    As we took our seats, Se-ra started ordering in Korean. Min Jun and Jin jumped in as well. Chanel and I just let them order because they would know exactly what to get as this was our first time here as well. Sara joined in and ordered a round of beer and soju. We were about to get the party started.


    ¡°I want to make a toast.¡± Chanel stood up holding a glass of soju. ¡°I want to thank all of you for welcoming me and my girl, Juniper, the way you have. I was worried about her coming alone, but just seeing that she has really good friends to support her, it makes me happy. I salute you all. She means a lot to me, she is my sister-girlfriend and I love her. I consider you all my family as I see that you have her best interest at hand. I may be joining you guys soon and become a resident as well, and I¡¯m excited to gain a bunch of good friends like all of you.¡± Everyone cheered, clanked glasses and downed the drink. We had a blast eating and being merry. It was nice to look around the table and everyone was having a good time, good drinks and good food. The food was amazing, I will most definitely come back to this place.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally happy to see Min Jun meet someone that makes him smile.¡± Sara said. Alex agreed. I looked at Min Jun and he blushed.


    ¡°He makes me happy too, so I think that¡¯s a plus for us both.¡± I responded. He blushed so much, his ears started turning red. He smiled, covered his mouth and turned away. I bumped him and he looked back at me.


    ¡°Thank you for being you.¡± He said. I smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be anyone else. Being me is the best me I can be.¡± I said. He leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips. Everyone oohed and aahed and we were partly shy. Mindi was smiling quietly, I wasn¡¯t sure if she was comfortable with us being the way we were as she had never been out with us previously.


    ¡°Mindi, right?¡± I asked. She looked at me and nodded.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°So you work with Jin and Min Jun, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I do. I¡¯m in accounts receivables.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Oh ok, I¡¯ve worked that position before. How long have you been there?¡± Chanel asked as she joined in the conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve worked there for about a year. It¡¯s a good job and nice people.¡± She glanced over at Jin, who was looking at her. They shyly turned away from each quickly but it was too late Chanel and I picked up on it.


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    ¡°So Mindi, what do you usually do when you¡¯re not at work?¡± I asked, trying to find out her interests.


    ¡°Well, I love to go to the movies and I like to go to the bookstore nearest to my job. It¡¯s really nice.¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh ok, what movies do you like? I like rom-coms and action movies. I really don¡¯t like horror movies, but I will watch them if I have some to watch with me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, I love action movies, rom-coms and horror. I also like comedy as well. My favorite is rom-coms though.¡±


    ¡°Really? We should hang out one day and go catch a movie. We can have a girls day, Se-ra, Sara and Chanel can join us.¡± I said


    ¡°I would like that. Yes, that sounds like fun.¡± She said smiling.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s set.¡± I said pulling out my phone. ¡°Can you give me your number so I can call you to set up a time and date for all of us to meet up?¡± I said, handing her my phone.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She said smiling. I looked at Min Jun and he knew what I was doing.


    ¡°Well how about this, when are you leaving Chanel?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I am leaving on Wednesday and I¡¯ll be gone hopefully in about 2 weeks. Why, wassup?¡±


    ¡°There is a movie theater near Lotte World Magic Island. Why don¡¯t we make a day of it tomorrow and we all can go catch a movie too.¡± He said.


    ¡°That sounds like a plan. Can everyone make it?¡± I asked, looking at everyone and Jin in particular. Everyone was in agreement.


    ¡°Awesome, then it¡¯s a plan. Why don¡¯t we all exchange numbers so we can make sure everyone has a ride so we won¡¯t miss anyone.¡± Chanel said. ¡°So everyone pass your phones around to those whose number you don¡¯t have so we can make a group chat.¡± Chanel was on it, she already knew how to play this game. We were going to get Mindi and Jin together one way or another.


    As we were having a great time enjoying each other, the unthinkable happened. People have been coming and going and we weren¡¯t paying attention to those coming in really. It wasn¡¯t until a person who I didn¡¯t think I would have to deal with, decided to grace us with her presence. This woman came over to our table, with Min Jun in her sights.


    ¡°Hi Lee Min Jun.¡± She said standing behind Alex, who was sitting next across from Min Jun. I looked at her and she had her eyes dead set on him. I looked at Min Jun and he looked as if he had seen a ghost. Sara looked behind her and she instantly looked at me. Who the fuck was this woman and why was she trying to get the attention of Min Jun.


    ¡°Samantha.¡± He said. Samantha? Who the fuck is Samantha? My wheels started turning.


    ¡°I thought that was you, how long has it been? It¡¯s been years huh?¡± She said smiling, acting a bit too friendly. The mood of those who knew her, turned negative immedately. As for those who didn¡¯t know who the fuck she was, me included, wanted to know why she was here interrupting us.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. I didn¡¯t know you were back in town.¡± He said, as he started moving as if the bench was getting hot under his ass.


    ¡°Yeah, I made it back a few months ago. I see you still hang out with some of the same friends, huh? Hi Jin, Sara, Alex.¡± They didn¡¯t even reply or look her way. My gut feeling was telling me, she is someone I¡¯m going to need to watch.


    ¡°What can we do for you, Samantha?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Well, I was trying to find Min Jun to catch up. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other. I just wanted to see what you''ve been up to Min Jun.¡±


    ¡°Really, Samantha?¡± Sara chimed in. What the fuck is going on and why is she here? Obviously they didn¡¯t like her and she didn¡¯t give a fuck. She was looking at Min Jun intensely, then she brought her gaze to mine.


    ¡°I see there are some new people in your group.¡± She said, looking directly at me. ¡°Hi I¡¯m Samantha, Lee Min Jun¡¯s ex girlfriend.¡± She said confidently. Holy Shit, this Bitch has balls. Big ones. Heat started building inside of me, as I had just met the enemy. She looked as if she had a plan to make her way back to the title without the ex. She was now my target.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Samantha. I¡¯m Juniper, Lee Min Jun¡¯s current girlfriend.¡± I let her know who I was and showed her who she would go up against. Min Jun reached for my hand under the table and laced my fingers with his. He held my hand tightly to reassure me he was mine.


    ¡°What do you want, Samantha?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Like I told you, I saw you here and I wanted to stop by to let you know I was back in town.¡± She said looking at him and then glancing at me.


    ¡°Well he knows now,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°And so do I.¡± I said confidently. Alex and Sara smiled in my direction. My eyes were intensely on Samantha, I was sending her an understanding, Don¡¯t fuck with me.


    ¡°Well, I see that I¡¯ve disturbed you and your meal. I apologize.¡± She said looking down the row of eyes on her. ¡°It was nice seeing you Min Jun.¡± Min Jun said nothing to acknowledge her. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Samantha said, looking at me.


    ¡°Trust me, the pleasure has been all mine.¡± I said, squeezing Min Jun¡¯s hand. He looked at me and I turned towards him. I wanted to reassure him that I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I wasn¡¯t about to give up that easily. I know he has a past, and it seemed to have just walked through the door. Just as things are going good, adversity always rears its ugly head. She turned around and walked out the door. It was a bit silent at the table, no one was sure of how to come back from such an uncomfortable situation. I released Min Jun¡¯s hand and grabbed a shot glass, filled it with soju and dropped it in a big ass glass of beer. I downed the beer in just a few gulps. Everyone watched me as I excused myself to the restroom.


    ¡°Oh Shit.¡± Chanel said as she watched me walk away from the table. Min Jun looked at her with concern. ¡°Let me go check on her.¡± Chanel excused herself from the table and headed towards the restroom with Se-ra following.


    I was in a stall, trying to calm down. I got so heated, for good reason, but my mind was all over the place trying to figure out what the fuck did she want. I knew exactly what she wanted: Lee Min Jun. I had to keep it under control and just be alert.


    ¡°Juni, are you okay?¡± Chanel said as she entered the restroom.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m good.¡± I answered too quickly. She would know I was lying.


    ¡°Liar.¡± She called me out. Mindi came into the restroom shortly after Chanel and Se-ra entered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I gotta pee.¡± She said walking into the next stall.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, for real. I just needed to regroup.¡± I said flushing the toilet. I opened the door and Se-ra and Chanel stared directly at me.


    ¡°You good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can honestly say the bitch took me by surprise, hence the reason I downed the beer but I¡¯m good.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Girl, you know how we do.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Yes, I know, but this is not the time nor the place. I don¡¯t know how jail is here and I really don¡¯t want to go to jail. I have a job interview to go to soon and I really want that job.¡± I said putting all my ducks in a row. Samantha was not going to upset my plans. Yes, she was unexpected but I was still at the wheel of this trip.


    ¡°Jail?¡± Se-ra said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Se-ra, I¡¯m good. I¡¯m not going. That chick left and we¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Min Jun was surprised too.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw that too. It¡¯s cool. I¡¯ll find out all about it tonight because I need to get a better understanding of how I need to feel. I don¡¯t want to overthink and jump to conclusions, but I have a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°I bet you do.¡± Se-ra replied. Mindi finished in the stall and exited. We looked at her as she washed her hands. I wanted to get the attention off of me and onto someone or something else, and Mindi was just the right person.


    ¡°Mindi, what¡¯s the deal with you and Jin.¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked nervously.


    ¡°I saw how you two looked at each other at the table. So what¡¯s the deal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Uh, I¡­.I uh, nothing.¡± She finally said.


    ¡°We all saw it, Mindi, and it¡¯s just us girls, you can tell us.¡± Chanel chimed in. She felt defeated and opened up.


    ¡°I like him but I can¡¯t confess and be rejected.¡± She said.


    ¡°What makes you think you will be rejected?¡± Se-ra asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s so nice and sweet. I just don¡¯t think he thinks of me that way.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Well we gotta do something about that.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Wait, please don¡¯t say anything.¡± She pleaded.


    ¡°Calm down, we are not like that. We¡¯re not gonna put you on blast like that. We do shit classy, so you just let us handle it. I promise you will know by the end of tomorrow.¡± Chanel said.


    ¡°Yup, tomorrow will be perfect. We will find out at Lotte World!¡± I said. She smiled nervously. ¡°Trust me, it will be okay, promise.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She smiled with a bit of hope on her face. She was shy and she was infatuated with Jin, she just needed a bit of help. And I needed to find out what the fuck Samantha was up to.

 Cat is OUT the Bag

    Samantha (Part 1)


    I didn¡¯t expect to see Min Jun with another woman; and she¡¯s black and beautiful. It¡¯s okay, I will still go according to plan, he will be mine again. It¡¯s sad that he still has those fucked up friends who he still hangs out with. Who still hangs with people that you¡¯ve met in high school? I have no time for that shit. The people I went to school with are losers and they are off living some life that they wish they didn¡¯t have. This is just a snag in my plan, I didn¡¯t expect her at all. I will just have to up my game and see how she plays. I know nothing of her, therefore, I need to plan accordingly. Lee Min Jun is starting to get noticed again, thanks to me. Good thing he doesn¡¯t know who is posting his current events online. I will make sure that he gets back in the spotlight, where he deserves and with me by his side, I can¡¯t lose. I¡¯ll make it my point to show up to let Min Jun know that I¡¯m back to be by his side.


    After Max let me go, I decided to come back to Min Jun. Especially after I found out that Alex had a studio and Min Jun was dancing again. Max thought I would be depressed since he left me, but he was wrong. I know Lee Min Jun will take me back, he still loves me. We have history together, and I know he hasn¡¯t moved on. This girl is just a fling, he can¡¯t be serious about her. I know how he works and what he likes, I¡¯ll be back with him in no time.


    He knows we have history and he knows what he has done with me in the past. I¡¯m sure this new girl doesn¡¯t know his deepest secrets yet. I can only imagine her look when I tell her. She looks like she¡¯s attached already; I know that feeling. She is starting to have feelings for him. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not worried though, MinJun knows he has no control when it comes to me; I know how to make him do what I want. He will be mine again; she may be just a hiccup, but I know how to get rid of those little annoyances.


    MinJun


    After the scene at the restaurant, we all decided to call it a night, as it got a little awkward. We agreed we would all meet up tomorrow at Lotte World and enjoy ourselves. Everyone went their own separate ways, except for Juniper and I. I felt I needed to let her know what has been going on. I needed to be open with her. Juniper came to my place to stay and I decided to open up to her.


    ¡°Juniper, I need to talk to you.¡± I said as we sat down on the couch.


    ¡°Min Jun, please be honest with me. What is the deal with that girl?¡± She asked seriously. She looked concerned with a million thoughts going through her head.


    ¡°I will.¡± I said getting closer to her on the couch. She turned towards me; I held her hands as we faced each other. ¡°Samantha is my ex-girlfriend. She broke up with me a while ago. I honestly don¡¯t know why she is bothering me.¡±


    ¡°She just showed up out of nowhere.¡± She said, ¡°I think she wants you back or at least she is trying to get you back.¡± I loved the fact that she said that she was going to ¡®try¡¯ as if Juniper wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. ¡°Why did she break up with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I used to be a trainee for an entertainment group.¡±


    ¡°You mean like an Idol?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I joined with one of my school friends. We dated while in school and we got chosen to participate in the 1st year of university. But I got cut. I didn¡¯t do so well after getting cut and I got a bit depressed. She thought that I was cheating on her because I became withdrawn and I didn¡¯t want to be around anyone. She was so excited that I was a trainee. I think she got more out of it than I did, but when I got cut and became withdrawn, she broke up with me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh. Maybe she thought she would be able to be with someone who was famous, and when you didn¡¯t make it, she broke up with you.¡± She said.


    ¡°Probably, even still I was heartbroken, but I got over her. I decided to enlist and serve my time in the military, which helped me alot.¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you sure you are over her?¡± She asked, looking for reassurance.


    ¡°Yes Jagiya, I promise.¡± I said touching her face. She smiled. ¡°She has nothing on you. Promise.¡± She smiled shyly.


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    ¡°But I do have a confession to make.¡± I said and her smile faded away. ¡°I think she has someone following us.¡± I just came out and said it. She looked at me confused and tilted her head.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you say that? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°A few weeks ago, I met up with her.¡± I confessed openly. I had to, I didn¡¯t want to keep secrets from her.


    ¡°What do you mean, you met up with her?¡± She said, trying to pull her hands from me.


    ¡°Just listen. It was before everything happened between us. She asked me for help and I met with her in a public place to see what type of help she needed. She told me she wanted me to help her with her Youtube channel.¡± I stated. Juniper looked just as confused as I was. She squinted her eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s playing you. She¡¯s testing you to see if you still have feelings.¡± Juniper stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so at first, but I agree. I told her I would think about it, but I never got back with her. I never contacted her back.¡±


    ¡°How did she find you tonight?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s the thing. When we met, she asked me how my job was and how I felt about dancing again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yup. She knows where I work and I believed she had someone follow me to the dance studio.¡± I said.


    ¡°It was shortly after that, is when you started showing back up on Youtube, correct?¡± She said.


    ¡°Yes. I swear I haven¡¯t spoken with her since that day. But I don¡¯t know who she has watching me.¡±


    ¡°Is she psycho?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I think she just wants some leverage over me. But no matter what, I¡¯m not doing anything for her. ¡° I reassured her. She smiled.


    ¡°So now you have someone watching you and following you?¡±


    ¡°And you too.¡± I said bluntly. She realized she was on the dance video.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And,¡± I started.


    ¡°And?¡± Juniper interrupted, looking shocked.


    ¡°Apparently, another video has been posted. People are commenting trying to figure out who you are.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± She said. I reached for my phone, pulled up the video and gave it to her. She looked and covered her mouth. It was at the restaurant. The person who took the video was inside the restaurant and they recorded us through the window in the front of the restaurant.


    ¡°My mind has been racing so much since I saw it. We were all sitting in the back of the restaurant and no one paid any attention to anyone sitting near the front; we had no reason to do so.¡± I said. Juniper looked a bit thrown off.


    ¡°They got us kissing again.¡± She said looking at the video, she blushed. ¡°At least they didn¡¯t get the argument with my mother.¡± Juniper laughed. People seemed to be enjoying us being together. The comments say we make a cute couple.


    ¡°Are you going to be okay with this being recorded?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit creepy to be honest, but as long as I¡¯m with you, I¡¯m good.¡± She said. It made my heart flip.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯ll protect you, I promise.¡± I said, she looked at ease after my reassurance.


    ¡°Well, it looks like she wants to get back with you, now that you¡¯re back in the spotlight.¡± Juniper said.


    ¡°Well, she can¡¯t. I¡¯m already taken, my girlfriend will share my spotlight with me.¡± I said scooting closer to her and putting my arms around her. She leaned over and put her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°No take backs. You¡¯re mine and I don¡¯t give up what is mine, that easily.¡± She said. She made me proud to be her boyfriend.


    ¡°I noticed. You showed it at the restaurant.¡± I said, she smiled shyly. ¡°I liked it. You were cute and a little scary.¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know if it was appropriate or not, but the Chi-town girl came out of me when I felt threatened.¡± She said she felt threatened; she is protective of me already. She¡¯s going to make me fall in love with her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I have no feelings for her, at all. I was serious when I said I was all yours. I want to be by your side as long as you will have me. I promise not to hurt you or make you sad. I want you to always be happy.¡± I promised. I didn¡¯t want her waver or even think I was. I wanted her to know I am serious.


    ¡°Good to hear. I promise you the same. Thank you for being honest with me. I appreciate that. I know it wasn¡¯t easy to tell me, but I¡¯m glad you are open with me and I promise to be open and honest with you always.¡± She said. I wrapped my arms around her, she exhaled with ease. I¡¯m so glad that I was open with her. Now she knows we will face adversity, together.

 A Waiting Spade

    Juniper


    Things quieted down a bit after our outing to Lotte World. Min Jun said he hadn''t heard from Samantha, so we figured she had gotten the hint. I occasionally went to the studio and danced with Min Jun and without fail, the videos of us were still being posted online. Every once in a while, occasionally people would notice us ask us for a picture. I had gotten used to being with him and being noticed as it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. While at work, I had gotten a call from Arc Interactive, so I stepped outside to take the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hello, is this Juniper Brown?¡± The man said over the phone.


    ¡°Yes, this is her. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°This is Park Ho-Seok, I¡¯m the project director for Arc Interactive.¡± He said. My eyes brightened up and I started walking around outside.


    ¡°Hello, nice to meet you. How can I help you?¡± I responded.


    ¡°I received your resume and I was informed that you had an amazing interview as well.¡± He said. I did, to be honest. I interviewed with the company shortly after the trip to Lotte World; I clicked really well with the interviewer, especially after I told him my concept of the video game I wanted to create and produce. He was very interested and loved the idea that I had for it. He even asked, if I got the job, if he could help on it. I was flattered! Of course I wouldn¡¯t turn down any help on the project, I was excited that he wanted to help me with it.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m glad.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Well we would like to offer you the position. You can make your own schedule as long as you are in the office at least 2 days a week to show us your progress on any project you are assigned. Your position will be with a team of developers with the opportunity to grow and become a team lead.¡± He offered. I was stunned, I had landed my dream job as a game developer. ¡°Hello, are you there?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Uh, Yes, I¡¯m here. Thank you so much! I accept.¡± I answered. I turned around and looked at my building. I wouldn¡¯t be going back there for long.


    ¡°Great, so we know you have to give notice to your current job. We also have a signing bonus for you as well that will be discussed when you come in to complete your onboarding paperwork.¡± Shit, a signing bonus? I didn¡¯t know about that! I guess the guy failed to tell me that part at the interview.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you again. I will give my notice today. Thank you again.¡± I said. I jumped up and down outside and screamed. A few people looked at me as if I had lost my damn mind. I composed myself and took it down a notch. I had to tell Se-ra and Min Jun.


    Just as I was about to dial Min Jun, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number; I thought it was someone from the office again so I answered it immediately.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°Hello Juniper baby. I¡¯m glad you answered my call.¡± A familiar voice came over the phone, it was Caleb. I froze, why was he calling me? Why did he have a South Korean phone number? ¡°Hello? Are you still there?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I answered.


    ¡°I want you baby.¡± He answered. My skin crawled.


    ¡°Why are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here baby.¡± My heart dropped.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re where?¡±


    ¡°In South Korea. I just landed, I¡¯m waiting for my bags.¡± My heart started pounding fast. This could not be happening to me. Did this motherfucker just tell me that he was in South Korea?


    Why was he here? Where exactly was he? Where was he planning to go?


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean you are in South Korea?¡± I asked, getting upset.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for you baby. I came over here to show you that I want you back.¡± This motherfucker is stupid. Did he really think I would take him back? It has been almost a year since we have been together. Did he really think he could just walk back into my life that easily? Or at all?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but you are not needed or wanted. I have someone already and I¡¯m very happy with him.¡± I said sternly.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Lee Min Jun. Don¡¯t worry about him anymore. You won¡¯t need him, I¡¯m here baby.¡± He said confidently. What the fuck was going on? How did he know his name? What the fuck? I instantly got ill. I was so sick to my stomach, I couldn¡¯t even deal.


    ¡°You need to leave and leave me alone. I don¡¯t want or need you.¡± I said.


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    ¡°It¡¯s okay baby. I¡¯ll find you. I know you won¡¯t tell me where you are and that¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll come to you. I¡¯ll come to you when you least expect it.¡± He said laughing. ¡°I love you baby. I¡¯ll always love you.¡± It made me sick to my stomach hearing him say those words out of his mouth. I am waiting for the moment when Min Jun to tells me those three little words and now Caleb was tainting them.


    ¡°Fuck you Caleb. You messed that up a long time ago. I can guarantee this will be a wasted trip.¡± I said and hung up the phone. I ran back into the office and straight to the bathroom. Se-ra followed me in after I zoomed past her desk.


    ¡°What is wrong Juniper?¡± She asked. I was dry heaving in the toilet, nothing was coming up. I hadn¡¯t eaten yet and breakfast had already been digested. My head was spinning and I was not going to relax until I saw Min Jun. I barely managed to get it out to Se-ra in between heaves.


    ¡°Are you fucking serious?¡± She stated. That was the first time I heard Se-ra upset. She said that shit so quickly, you couldn¡¯t even hear her Korean accent. I stumbled out of the bathroom stall over to the sink. I had to put water on my face and neck.


    ¡°Yes. This motherfucker just landed in Seoul. I can¡¯t do this today, I really can¡¯t.¡± My mind was going a mile a minute and it wasn¡¯t slowing down.


    ¡°Have you told Min Jun yet?¡± She asked. I shook my head and just flushed my mouth out. ¡°You need to call him.¡± She said.


    ¡°I know, I need to see him.¡± I wanted to cry.


    Why was this happening to me? What the fuck is it with the ex¡¯s these days? Why the fuck are they popping back up all of a sudden? First it was Samantha, Min Jun¡¯s ex and now it was Caleb. My mind kept racing, how in the fuck did he find out where I was? I couldn¡¯t even get an understanding.


    ¡°Does Chanel know?¡± Se-ra asked. I needed to call her. She had left Seoul two days ago and I really needed to talk to her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hadn¡¯t talked to her. I was going to call her when I got home tonight. I figured she had jet lag so I was going to let her rest.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she would want to hear what is going on, even if the bitch is tired.¡± Se-ra said. She had been around Chanel way too much that she had rubbed off her. She made me smile when she said that because she sounded just like Chanel. I giggled and she laughed. She made me feel a little better. I was just thrown off center and I had to get my shit together and keep it together.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I need to call Chanel.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you take off for the rest of the day. I¡¯ll tell them you got sick and had to go home. Don¡¯t worry about it. I got you.¡± She said, I gave her a hug so tight she squealed.


    ¡°Love you girl.¡± I said.


    ¡°I know.¡± She smiled. I left the bathroom, grabbed my shit and left the office. I called Chanel on the way to the train station.


    ¡°Bitch you are lying!¡± She said when I told her that Caleb called me when he landed.


    ¡°I wish I was. How the fuck did he find me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not to be funny Juni, but I bet it was your mother.¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡± I asked. There was no way she could find out where I was.


    ¡°You said she saw the video right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she was the one who showed it to Caleb.¡± She made a point. She made a really good point. My mind went racing again; even though it was a long stretch but she was going down the right track.


    ¡°Do you think he could have contacted the owner of the channel?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. Y¡¯all never found out who was posting the videos huh?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Nah, and they are still posting them too. They even posted a video of me and Min Jun shopping for groceries. That shit is stalkerish.¡± I said. Shit is getting fucked up; I needed to call Min Jun.


    ¡°Did you tell Min Jun yet?¡± She asked, yawning in between words.


    ¡°No, not yet. I was about to call him after I told you.¡±


    ¡°Call him, you know he would want to know.¡± She said she was right, he would want to know as soon as possible.


    ¡°I will. Keep your ear out for me.¡± I said.


    ¡°I will. Oh and I got word I¡¯ll be back next week or so. Maybe two weeks at the most. Hopefully that stupid motherfucker can¡¯t find you by then.¡± She said, I was happy she was coming back, but two weeks seemed far away as fuck. I called Min Jun after I hung up from Chanel. I can just imagine his shock when I tell him.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± He asked, sounding agitated.


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way to the train station.¡± I said.


    ¡°Wait for me there, I¡¯m on my way.¡± He said and hung up the phone. I knew he would be on it quickly. He wasn¡¯t about to let that shit fly. He was coming to get his woman. I smiled at the fact that he wanted to protect me.


    Even though we had been together for only a short period of time, we were getting closer and closer day by day. He made me feel as though he would stand by me through it all, no matter what came my way, he wasn¡¯t going to leave. His reaction was the same as that day I was in his car arguing with my mother. Just thinking about that night, I realized I haven''t spoken to my mother since then. She hadn¡¯t called or tried to get someone else to call for her. I could care less to be honest, but I remembered what Chanel said which made me wonder if she was behind this shit. She wanted me to get back with Caleb and she was just disgusted that I was with someone else. As I turned the corner nearest the station, I saw Min Jun standing in front of the station. My phone rang, it was Min Jun.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± He said when I answered. He looked worried as he stood outside the station.


    ¡°Look to your right.¡± I said. He turned and saw me. We disconnected and he ran to meet me. He was dressed in black jeans, a nice turtleneck sweater and a black leather jacket and a pair of black shoes to complete his look. He looked damn good, but worried. As soon as I was in reach, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him, I could smell his cologne.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He said leaning back to look at me.


    ¡°Yeah, I am now.¡± I smiled a weak smile. He pulled me close and held me tightly as if he wasn¡¯t going to let me go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said holding me as we walked back to his car. I sat in the car just looking out the window as he held my hand. We drove in silence, with my mind was a million miles away. I really didn¡¯t want this to be happening to me. Before I knew it, Min Jun had turned into my building¡¯s parking lot. He knew I wanted to be at home, honestly I wouldn¡¯t have minded if we would have stayed at his place. Either way, as long as I was with him that¡¯s all that mattered. Just as I figured, each and every time just as things are going good, here comes something to try and fuck it up.

 Eastern Comfort

    MinJun


    Juniper was upset when I picked her up and she was still a little scared. I couldn¡¯t imagine what he said to her, but I will make it a point to be sure he doesn¡¯t find out where she is. I held her in my arms on the couch while we were watching a movie to take her mind off the subject.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked, touching her head and kissing her forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, but can you stay with me tonight?¡± She asked. She didn¡¯t want me to leave and honestly, I didn''t want to leave her alone either.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll stay here as long as you want me.¡±


    ¡°Forever.¡± She whispered. It made me smile. I loved that she could come to me when she needed and that I could let her know I will be there for her.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± I said. I wrapped my arms tightly around and held her close.


    ¡°I almost forgot,¡± She said, looking up and leaning back. ¡°I got the job. They called me before¡­¡± She trailed off in her mind and didn¡¯t finish her sentence, I figured she had gotten the call before he decided to call.


    ¡°Congratulations Juniper. It¡¯s the job you wanted right, as a game developer right?¡± I said trying to sound excited and to take her mind off Caleb.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m excited. I forgot to give my notice today though. But I¡¯ll send it to them via email later on.¡± She said.


    ¡°Well, that calls for a celebration. Why don¡¯t I order some food from delivery, run to the store really quick to pick up something to drink?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming back right?¡± She asked. I touched her face, even though she smiled I could tell she was concerned just by the look in her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, I promise.¡± I kissed her lips slowly and softly. She smiled after and touched my face.


    ¡°Thank you for being you.¡± She replied. I smiled and kissed her again. I kissed her long and sweet, letting her know she didn¡¯t have to ask me to be here, I wanted to be here. She pulled me on top of her, kissing me deeply. I could feel myself grow as I laid on top of her.


    ¡°You are going to start something growing.¡± I said in between kisses.


    ¡°Grow baby grow.¡± She whispered. I blushed and looked away.


    ¡°Let me get something to drink first and so we won¡¯t be thirsty later on.¡± I said slowly climbing off of her.


    ¡°Hurry back.¡± She said letting me go. She wanted me and I wanted her more than ever.


    ¡°Place the food order so we won¡¯t have to wait long.¡± I said, heading for the door. She gave me the thumbs up and I headed out to get drinks. I couldn¡¯t wait to hurry back.


    After I returned, Juniper seemed to be in a better mood. She had music playing when I returned and she was singing in the shower.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± I said at the bathroom door.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll only be a few more minutes. I ordered the food so it should be arriving soon.¡± She yelled from the shower.


    ¡°Okay.¡± As I put the drinks in the refrigerator, the doorbell rang, it was our food delivery.


    I placed the food on the table in the living room and waited for Juniper to get out of the shower.


    She came out with her hair in a towel, tank top and a pair of jogging pants. She came into the living room and sat next to me on the floor.


    ¡°Oooo, the food looks good.¡± Juniper said, ¡°Do you want to watch a movie?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Sure. You pick.¡± I replied. Juniper scanned a few movies and decided on The Night Before, she said it was one of her favorite Christmas movies. With it being December, she said it was appropriate timing to watch the movie since Christmas would be arriving soon.


    We sat, ate our food and enjoyed each other. It was great to see Juniper laugh and take her mind off Caleb. I already had plans to keep her mind off later, but it was nice to spend time with her and watch her have a good time. We had finished our meal about half way through the movie, so I took it upon myself to jump in the shower before the movie ended. Juniper still had the pair of jogging pants I used last time I stayed. She told me to leave a few clothing items over just in case I stayed the night, so I was prepared with the underwear this time. I returned to her on the couch, drying my hair with a towel. She looked over at me and smiled. She had a look on her face as if she wanted to ask a question. She reached up and touched my hair, running her fingers through it while combing my hair with her fingers. She caressed my face, crossing over my lips slowly, her gaze never leaving mine. I kissed her fingers and she bit her bottom lip. I knew what that meant, she bites her lip when she was ready.


    She ran her fingers down over my chest down to the bottom of the shirt which laid right above my member. When she got close, it moved acknowledging her presence. She moved closer crossing her legs over mine while straddled me on the couch; I reached around and squeezed her ass in my grip. The movie was no longer important, we were about to make our own. Her hair was curly and hanging loose as she sat upon my lap. I wanted to keep her mind off of Caleb and 100% on me. I wanted to make love to her so she¡¯d understood how much I cared for her deeply. She leaned down kissing me slowly and deeply, the sweetness of her tongue danced with mine. It was electric kissing her, so much passion would build inside me to the point I just wanted to be inside her. She started grinding her ass around on my lap, a clear indication we needed to move this episode to the bedroom. I scooted to the end of the couch to gain a better footing; she wrapped her legs around my waist so I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.


    I laid her down gently on the bed, still kissing her. My heart was telling me I was in love with her, however my mind didn¡¯t want me to jump too quickly. I knew how I felt about her, it made me crazy when I wasn¡¯t with her. This was what I wanted for so long, but timing was everything. I guess the both of us had to go through so much shit in order for fate to bring us together and appreciate this relationship now. I slowly kissed her, as I didn¡¯t want to rush this. I know the last time we got together it was more fucking than anything, we were like wild animals; this time I wanted to really wanted to make love to her in a special way, slow and easy.


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    I stood up as she laid on the bed, her eyes still on me. I removed my shirt and tossed it on the floor. I went to the laptop, opened up my musical selection and chose it wisely. I wanted to make sure the mood was just right, sexy and unique; I know how to speak to her through music. I took off my jogging pants as she took the cue to remove her tank top and pants. A small lamp lit the room ever so softly as it created shadows on the walls and the mood was perfect. I pulled the covers back and placed her, in all of her nakedness, in the middle of the bed. I laid next to her with my member sticking her in the stomach. I kissed her, sucking on her tongue and hearing her breathing change; it got deeper as I ran my fingers softly and slowly across her back and down her hips. I pulled her leg up along my side as I laid on her a bit, yet not giving her my full weight.


    Slowly we kissed all over each other in various places; I sucked on her ear lobe as she kissed my collarbone. I squeezed her thighs as she pinched my nipple and licked my neck. She made me quiver as I had no one touch me and do things to me as she has done, and I enjoyed every bit of it. It made me want more as she had me addicted. She was my drug and I didn¡¯t want any rehab. She was absolutely amazing and I knew she had me, she hypnotized me with how she touched me. I kissed along her neck, across her shoulder and back. I massaged her breasts as I kissed down to her nipples. I licked circles around one as I pinched the other. I heard her breathing change and she moaned. I was getting her started and I knew exactly how to finish. I kissed her mouth softly, covering her moans and then returned to the other nipple to give it the same attention.


    I felt her hands move across my back and across as Jimmy Browns¡¯ Ecstasy played in the background. This wasn¡¯t just sex to me, I thought; it was something I¡¯ve never shared with someone, not in this way, ever. I was giving my heart in each kiss, touch and stroke. Her hand had made it down to my member, she took the shaft in her hand and slowly stroked me. My breathing slowed down as she stroked me slowly; take care of me as I kissed her nipples together. My shit got hard as fuck and I wanted to feel her on the inside but not yet, I wanted to get to that point where it was inevitable for both of us to resist. As I sucked her nipples, I took a small nibble and her head fell back. She moaned and shuddered. I let her nipple go and leaned back and watched her as she stroked me faster. I touched her slowly across her stomach down to her waist. I slowly moved her thighs apart and touched her sweet spot, her mouth came open as I slipped a finger between her satin lips. She opened her legs to allow me to slip another inside.


    She was wet and ready as my fingers were covered with her juices. Her grasp tightened as I stroked her in and out of her love cave. Her eyes rolled back as I pleased her, with her doing the same to me. I bit her gently on her neck and she squirmed and started lifting her hips, pumping my fingers. We were at that point, I wanted to feel her, I wanted to make love to her forever. As I removed my fingers from inside, I took hold of myself and spread her juice all over my soldier. I moved over her and spread her legs open with my legs as I stroked myself gazing at her directly in her eyes. She repositioned herself, legs open, welcoming me to enter. I smiled slyly as I was happy she was asking me to be one with her. I leaned down above her, holding myself on my elbows.


    I kissed her, sucking her tongue and licking her lips slowly. She held the back of my head and crossed her legs over mine. I looked at her and she looked back at me. It was an unspeakable moment but I felt at that moment, we loved each other. She held my face as I moved to position and thrust myself inside her. Her mouth opened as I entered, as did mine. She was so hot and wet and beautiful. I fit perfectly, as she locked her ankles around the small of my back. I pumped slowly in and out, hearing her moan deep within her soul all while hearing the suction we were making. Faded played in the background as I slowly pumped my member deep inside her. Her eyes rolled and my head fell forward. She wrapped herself fully around me and I went as deep as I could go.


    ¡°Uhhh,¡± I moaned. I couldn''t help it, she felt so good. I looked at her and she opened her eyes to meet mine.


    ¡°You feel so good Aeigya.¡± She whispered. I fucking love this woman and I haven¡¯t told her. I¡¯ve been fighting myself, but I know I do.


    ¡°Nae sarang.¡± It slipped out. I closed my eyes as it felt so good. She held me tighter, holding my face and watching me as I made love to her.


    ¡°Uhhh Min Jun.¡± She called my name as I stroked her slow and deep. I positioned myself again, balancing myself above her and watching her as I pumped within a rhythm with her. She was grinding along with me, lifting her ass off the bed to meet me.


    We moved faster the more we moaned in tune with each other. My mouth was open and she sat up to kiss me while watching my member go deep inside her. She held her head against my forehead, wrapping her arms around my neck. I laid down on her and started pounding her faster; her moaning increased and became louder. I was getting to that point where I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore, I had been holding it for a while to be honest, and I had hit my limit.


    ¡°Cum with me Min Jun, please.¡± She begged me as her head fell back and she let out a wail that made me explode. I pushed deep inside her as I let go of everything I had been holding back. I released deeply every bit of liquid I had been holding with pleasure. It felt so good to the point, I started seeing stars; I closed my eyes and collapsed on top of her. Breathing so hard, our bodies full of moisture, we laid together holding each other as we rode our wave of pleasure slowly. I could feel her kissing my neck and running her fingers across my back, up and down my spine. My head was buried between her neck and shoulder, I raised it slowly and looked at her. She wiped the sweat from my brow and smoothed my hair back from my face.


    ¡°Min Jun,¡± She called my name softly. I looked directly in her eyes as she held my face. I moved her soft curls from her face and caressed her cheek.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me fall hard for you, and I¡¯m scared.¡± She said honestly. She was falling for me just like I was falling for her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± I said confidently. I looked at her and I knew exactly how she felt. She wanted to tell me she loved me just as much as I wanted to tell her, but both of us have been in that place where we have expressed our feelings and things have changed after saying it.


    ¡°How do I know?¡± She asked honestly. She had every right to feel that way, but I wanted her to understand she wasn¡¯t the only one feeling that way.


    ¡°Because, you got me falling hard for you too, and I¡¯m just as scared.¡± I said looking at her directly, honestly speaking. She stared at me to see if I would waver, I never looked away or blinked. A single tear fell from her eyes. More started to come and I wiped them away slowly, and planted a kiss on her nose.


    ¡°You do?¡± She said. She never said the words, but I know what she was asking. I completely understood. It was unspoken between us, yet it was implied. It was better this way until we found the courage to admit it out loud.


    ¡°Yes. Do you?¡± I asked, hoping she would say the same.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± My heart filled with such joy and fulfillment. I had found her, my soulmate. We needn''t say those words just yet and we were happy with that, as long as we knew it was implied. She smiled and gave me a small kiss on my lips.


    As I slowly moved away, I released myself from her and I walked to the bathroom to grabbed a washcloth to remove the excess love juices that covered the both of us. We laid in the bed, naked holding each other, listening to the music playing softly in the background. She laid on my chest, my arms wrapped around her and her leg across mine. It felt good holding her and falling asleep, knowing she loved me and I loved her, no words necessary.

 Two Peas in a Pod

    Samantha


    I think my luck was finally turning around, since I¡¯ve found out that Min Jun is dating someone. My channel had been growing, with or without his help. He never responded about helping me with my channel, which I must admit, I was a little disappointed. I¡¯m sure she had something to do with MinJun not contacting me. It¡¯s okay though, since his video has gone viral, it seems as though someone has been looking for Juniper, and he came across my channel. His name was Caleb and he messaged me to find out the location of the studio in which the video was taken. At first, I thought maybe he was just a basic American who wanted to come and visit tourist locations in Seoul, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He informed me that he was Juniper''s ex boyfriend and he wanted to get her back.


    He piqued my interest and I just had to get in contact with him. I felt that he may be my ticket to getting MinJun away from Juniper. Caleb said that he would go along with me to separate them, by any means necessary. When he first messaged me regarding this information, I was thinking this could be an actual madman who was just obsessed with Juniper. As much as I didn¡¯t like her, I didn¡¯t want to be an accessory to her murder, but he sent a few pictures of them together from days at university. They had been together for quite some time until he did the unthinkable, he got caught cheating. I wasn¡¯t the one to judge him, I really didn¡¯t care, I just wanted to help him get back with Juniper so I could get back with MinJun.


    It was easy for me to get him to come to Seoul and find Juniper. I didn¡¯t want him to know where Min Jun lived and I hadn¡¯t figured out where Juniper lived yet. I wasn¡¯t worried, just knowing that she lived in the city was enough to get him to buy a ticket to come to work out a plan on getting them separated. I wanted MinJun back with me and I was willing to pull out all the stops to make it happen.


    I had my lookout close to MinJun, so close that he didn¡¯t even know they were giving me feedback almost each and every day, this person was right up under his nose. I loved that I could use them in a way that they would do exactly as I asked. I just had a feeling it would be well worth it in the end. The videos were doing so well, MinJun was getting the exposure I wanted him to have and what he deserved. Yet, I was tired of the people responding in the comments about Juniper¡¯s and Min Jun¡¯s relationship; I was supposed to be with him, he was supposed to be my Forever. I know it didn¡¯t work out between us in the past, but I believe that when you let go of something or someone you love, they will come back to you. I just needed MinJun to see that we were fated to be together, and that his judgment is being clouded right now with Juniper all up in his face. I just need to have her eliminated and he¡¯ll finally open his eyes and understand that he only needs me.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Caleb


    I can¡¯t believe I have got my black ass in Seoul, South Korea trying to find Juniper. I didn¡¯t expect to get caught fucking Nevaeh; even still that was piece of ass was good though, but Juniper has my heart. She always had it and she will always have it. I can¡¯t believe that she thinks things between us have come to an end because we have hit a bump or a snag in our plans. Nevaeh meant nothing to me, she was only a piece of ass that I would occasionally have when Juniper wasn¡¯t available, like when she was on her period or sleep. A man has needs and she needs to understand that I love her and that that hoe meant nothing to me.


    However, I lost it when I saw Juniper and that Korean guy, MinJun, dancing in the video. I found the video when I was watching the Youtube shorts. The fucking video went viral! This motherfucker had his hands on her ass; that¡¯s my ass and I came here to reclaim it. I really lost it when I saw this motherfucker kiss her. She was grinding all against his dick when they were dancing and he was touching all on her body. I can¡¯t have this motherfucker¡¯s hands all over my shit, I need to make sure I bring shit to a halt. I reached out to the channel and asked a bunch of questions trying to figure out where the studio was and I got a few comments back that it was in Seoul.


    I had never left Chicago, let alone leave the country but this was something that I had to do in order to get Juniper back. She just doesn¡¯t know she needs me, she¡¯s just upset that I was fucking around. So, I let her have her time to herself and it looks like I gave her too much time to be mad at me. Samantha reached out to me as I commented on a few videos telling everyone that I was trying to find out where my ex girlfriend was and that I wanted her back. She told me not only did she know where the studio was, she also told me of who the guy was; it was her ex-boyfriend and she wanted to get back with him. I knew I was on the right track because she wanted her other half back at any cost. We planned the trip for me to come over and surprise Juniper, which is how I am here today.


    I called Juniper as I had received a cell phone from Samantha; she thought it would be a good idea to use a phone with a local number, so Juniper wouldn¡¯t know it was me until I arrived. When I called Juniper, she was a bit upset, but I know she¡¯ll get over it. She just needs some time to come to her senses that I am here to bring her back home to be with me, by any means necessary. She was so surprised when I called, I could hear that she didn¡¯t know how to respond when she heard my voice, she got mad with me which is okay; I know I can win her back. Samantha has hatched a plan to split them up and I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well, just in case I need to improvise on the situation.

 For the Love of the Game

    Juniper


    After I gave my 2 week notice at my job, it seemed as things went fast forward. Before I knew it, I was working at Arc Interactive. I missed seeing Se-ra on the daily but we made sure to keep in contact and we would meet up occasionally for lunch or dinner from time to time. I really loved my job, I learned so much when I was able to join the teams that were working on certain projects. I loved how the company worked as they made sure I had a good understanding of what was expected of me and they made sure I had the resources and the opportunity to gain the skills in order to grow within the company.


    I hadn¡¯t heard from Caleb since the day he landed in Seoul. I guess he was trying to find out where I was or he had someone distracting him. I felt uneasy at times being outside and not knowing where he was, but Min Jun made it clear that he wasn¡¯t going to allow Caleb to come and disturb us. He hadn¡¯t heard from Samantha so we figured she got the hint that she was no longer needed. I can honestly say that even though Min Jun was confident that they wouldn¡¯t come between, I was had a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach that they would pop up when we least expected it. Min Jun tried to reassure me by dropping me off and picking me up from work daily. Actually I was happy he did because the job, even though it was my dream job, was very demanding. Sometimes the only chance we would be able to see each other, was when I rode with Min Jun. We lived for the weekends because Min Jun would still help out Alex¡¯s studio at least 3-4 times a week, which left him busy as well.


    One of the project leaders came to me about an upcoming project that he had heard was in the works. He said he loved my work and he thought I had a lot of potential. He said they would be making a team for a special project but the applicants must submit a small task that shows a level of their skills. And if I wanted a spot on the team, I needed to present a concept piece which would solidify my position on the team. He also let me know that if the project turns out as good as he thinks, he will let me lead my own project! I decided to create the concept piece of my game, Reality. Reality had the concept of a mixture of the Sims meet Grand Theft Auto. It was a free roam game, however the player would have the opportunity to be interactive with other players and NPCs.


    This was the break I have been waiting for all of my life. If I could land this project, it would open the opportunity for me to be a Team Project Leader for my own project. If I get to be a TPL, I will be able to create and produce my game for everyone to play. The only downfall of getting this opportunity was, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see Min Jun as much as either of us would like as the project would consume my free time entirely. We already don¡¯t spend that much time with each other as it is, and this would make it less.


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    Actually I would be at least non-existent for at least a few weeks. I didn¡¯t want that, I didn¡¯t want him thinking I didn¡¯t want to see him, but my work would allow me to have more time to be with him in the future. I was thinking about us as well as myself. I wanted to tell him, but I really didn¡¯t want to because I knew what is going to say. Min Jun isn¡¯t the type of guy that would allow me to pass up this opportunity; he knows I would do the same for him. I motivated him to dance again and he landed the perfect opportunity to do so; I¡¯m happy for him even though we don¡¯t get to spend much time together. Which is why we value the time we do spend together. I know Min Jun would be nothing short of supportive of me with this new project, the thing is I would miss him so much; and with Caleb in town somewhere, I really wanted to have Min Jun around all the time.


    ¡°Jagiya, it¡¯s okay. I know this is something you really want. What kind of person would I be if I wanted you to spend all your time with me? I¡¯m not that type of person, you already know this and I would hate myself if I held you back from your dream. I¡¯m proud of you and I want you to do what you have to do in order to land that project. Remember, I¡¯m not going anywhere, I promise. Yeobo, I¡¯m yours.¡± He said, I loved when Min Jun would call me ¡®pet¡¯ names in Korean.


    I loved hearing his voice, even though I couldn¡¯t be with him. His voice has a way of calming me down. He was so patient with me, I know I had a lot of baggage going on and it seemed to be growing. I just wanted to catch a break, but it seems like a test for our relationship is on the way since Caleb has landed his ass in Seoul.


    ¡°Aegiya, I know, I¡¯m yours too. I¡¯m not going anywhere either, it¡¯s just it seems like there are so many factors, good and bad, that are involved in us.¡± I said sitting on the couch wishing he was right next to me.


    ¡°I know, but that just makes us stronger. We got this Juni, we belong together, you already know how strong our bond is, so don¡¯t doubt what we have for each other.¡± He said, I felt exactly what he was talking about, our unspoken bond. We didn¡¯t refuse to say it to each other or express it, our past has just left us a bit cautious due to having expressed it out loud to which others have taken full advantage of our emotional state. Min Jun and I both have deep feelings for each other that can not only be felt between us, but it can be seen by others, and that¡¯s real love.


    ¡°You still do, don¡¯t you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°I do too.¡± He responded. Eventually, we will say it to each other, and that day will be amazing to hear those three little words come across our lips.


    ¡°Naekkeo, go and do what you have to do for your project; call me when you find out if you have a moment to share with me and I¡¯ll be over immediately.¡± He said, I didn¡¯t want to get off the phone. I loved talking to him, I could talk to him for hours. But he was right, I needed to start on the project so I could land that position.


    ¡°Okay Aeigya, talk to you later.¡± I said and reluctantly disconnected.

 The Lies Have It

    Samantha


    My lookout told me that things may have cooled off with Min Jun and Juniper. It seems that Juniper¡¯s job has become more demanding therefore they won¡¯t be spending as much time together as they have been before. I wish I had someone else to help me out on being my lookout as I¡¯m starting to have doubts about the person I have working for me. They are starting to become more of an annoyance for me, I wish I would have never used her. I really don¡¯t care for her that much, but she is in a position that allows me to keep my eyes on Min Jun.


    Right now, she¡¯s just starting to grow a conscience all of a sudden. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m related to this person, she¡¯s such a pushover who has no backbone. Back when we were little, she wanted to hang out with me because I was popular in school, but I didn¡¯t want people to even know we were related. She would come over to my house from time to time and she would follow me around with all of my other friends. We were the same age but she seemed like she was younger as she was afraid to think for herself.


    My younger sister would hang out with her but all she wanted was to mimic me. She was just a strange little girl who grew up to be a strange adult woman. Now that she has started getting noticed by those of the opposite sex, she''s starting to withdraw from doing a lot of things need her to do. Now she wants to grow some balls, which doesn¡¯t work for me. I just need to cut them off by reminding her that she is in way too deep; if those people find out she¡¯s been the one who has been supplying me information, they will be very upset with her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to choose what you want to do, I do. You will do this for me otherwise I will let it be known that you have been giving me the information on Min Jun and Juniper. How does that sound? What will your little friend think about you then? Will he want to be with you after you screwed over his friends? I said, I knew about the guy she was liking. I needed her to know I meant business.


    ¡°I understand, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s getting too serious.¡± She said in the smallest voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about Juniper! So what, she can get hurt. I care about Lee Min Jun. If he gets hurt because Juniper does him wrong, then I will be there to help him pick up the pieces. He¡¯s fragile and he will become depressed, like he did before. I know how to handle him.¡± I said confidently. She doesn¡¯t know Min Jun like I do, I can handle him. It wasn¡¯t until recently that he has started standing up to me, but I noticed that only happens when Juniper is with him. Now, since she¡¯s not around, I can get him wrapped again.


    She remained quiet on the phone, ¡°Are you still there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m still here.¡± She finally responded.


    ¡°Fine. Call me when you have updated information.¡± I said and disconnected. I needed to get in touch with Caleb. We need to discuss our next steps. I dialed his number and he answered quickly.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He sounded so sexy over the phone.


    ¡°Caleb? This is Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Oh hey, how you doin¡¯?¡± He responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good, how are you? Are finding things okay?¡± I asked.


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    ¡°Yes, things are going well, thanks.¡±


    ¡°I think we should meet up so we can discuss our next step.¡± I stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, just tell me where and when.¡± He answered.


    ¡°Ok, we can meet up for lunch tomorrow to discuss.¡±


    Caleb


    I agreed to meet Samantha at a restaurant called N.Fourseason. I had a driver setup because I was not going to find my way around this place and I did not plan on staying that long at all. Again, I had to think about Juniper, she was worth all this shit to have my black ass come all the way the fuck over here to try to find her to bring that fat ass back to the States. She doesn¡¯t belong over here, she can do whatever she does for a living online. She can be international; she needs to be with me and I don¡¯t live here. The driver dropped me off at what seemed to be a nice little place to have great Korean BBQ. The decor was nice and modern; the lighting was good too. I was thinking, this shit is tight.


    When I stepped in the place I saw this beautiful Korean woman, that was hot as fuck. She was curved in all the right places; I knew for a fact that I didn¡¯t discriminate but I have not had the pleasure of being with a Korean woman. My dick grew as she turned and looked at me. She stared at me for a minute, I¡¯m like shit, I would love to hear her scream my name in Korean. She walked over to meet me.


    ¡°Caleb?¡± She said in perfect English. I looked at her and she was a nice piece of work.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± I looked at her, up and down. Fine as fuck, I thought. ¡°You must be Samantha.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. I must say Caleb, you are very easy on the eyes.¡± She said, looking me up and down. She was a bad bitch, she looked me up and down slowly licking her lips with no hesitation or care in the world that I clearly watched her do it. I can¡¯t fuck with this one here, she meant business. Her mind is sick and twisted and she knew how to play the fucking game. I¡¯ve seen this type of woman before. She was basically me, in female form. She wanted Min Jun and she was going to get him or she was going to go down trying.


    ¡°Thank you. I must say, you fine as fuck.¡± I didn¡¯t give a fuck if it was inappropriate, I will give props where props are due, and she knew she looked good. She blushed because she knew I would hit that quick if given the chance, but I needed to get my head off of her; I needed to get Juniper back.


    ¡°Gamsahabnida.¡± She said and bowed a bit. My dick moved again, yeah she would get it for sure. Talk that Korean shit; she got me thinking of ways to fuck her good already.


    We sat down at a nice table against the wall and discussed our plan on how to break up Min Jun and Juniper. We didn¡¯t have the location of Juniper but she had someone who was close to Min Jun and it was only a matter of time for us to find out where she lived. She told me that there were a few things she needed to take care of first but she reassured me that she would have the address in a day or so. I was fine with that, I wasn¡¯t going anywhere until I found Juniper, in the meantime, I was going to hit up a few clubs and kick it. She told me that she was still planning everything and that she will tell me when to play my part. She was a scheming bitch, she had been planning this shit for a while. That¡¯s the type of bitch you don¡¯t want to fuck around with. There were only a select few men who could deal with that type of woman.


    She ordered for us and I just went along with everything. I really wasn¡¯t listening to her wanting Min Jun back so much, I was more interested in my part of getting back with Juniper. She had a plan that would take place at a benefit event for Min Jun¡¯s company. I took that as a reason to look very nice for Juniper. I¡¯m gonna hit the streets and spend some money while I¡¯m here. She didn¡¯t tell me the entire plan, she said she will when it came time for me to know; I didn¡¯t question it because I didn¡¯t care about Min Jun, just as long as he was away from Juniper. I chowed down as she spoke about hotels and kissing Min Jun, which at that point, I totally zoned out.

 In You I Trust

    MinJun


    It had been about two and half weeks since I was able to see Juniper. She¡¯s been working on her concept project. I love her tenacity, when she puts her mind to something she focuses really hard and gives her everything. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to get that position, I have no doubt in her whatsoever. She¡¯s amazing. She has been through so much to keep going on, she has hope that things will turn around no matter what type of obstacles adversity may bring. She encouraged me to get back into dancing, something I absolutely love. She saw me before I saw myself; she hadn¡¯t seen me dance and yet she had such positive encouragement. It made me want to feel that inspiration all the time; she made me feel good about myself again. She woke something in me that I had put to sleep a long time ago - my heart started beating again.


    I figured today I would stop by her place and have a little fun. She called me and she said that she had just Friday night available, as she was going to be busy again this weekend. It¡¯s been 3 weeks of weekends in a row, and we used to live for these weekends. The weekend was the only time we had to get away from work, text messages and video calls. We would be together, touching, feeling and seeing each other in real life. I wanted to touch her face and see the small pores in her satin, caramel skin as I looked into her chocolate brown eyes. I miss seeing the little corner dimples next to her lips as she smiles. I miss being able to hear her laugh, watching her throw her head back with her eyes closed. It always makes me smile because I know she is laughing hard; sometimes when she raises her head, there is a blush of red hue beneath her brown skin and a small tear full of joy streaming down her face; that¡¯s when I know she¡¯s enjoying herself tremendously. I looked at my phone with her picture as my screensaver; it''s the picture we took together the first time we went out. It makes me happy and assures me that I miss her.


    While I was at work, I decided to make a night of it and invited Jin and Mindi. They had been hinting around liking each other. She¡¯s pretty nice. She¡¯s really quiet, but she¡¯s really funny when she really opens up. She¡¯s a good fit for Jin, they have some kind of quirky little relationship. Both of them still haven¡¯t confessed yet, so it¡¯s still in the new stage. They enjoy being with each other, however both of them are shy when it comes to each other so they just need a little push. I figured Juniper could work on Mindi and I could work on Jin. I don¡¯t know anyone better who could help Mindi come out of her shell than Juniper.


    We arrived at Juniper¡¯s apartment, as we pulled into the visitor¡¯s parking space in the garage, Jin and Mindi were talking.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that restaurant near here?¡± Jin asked Mindi.


    ¡°Restaurant?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a restaurant Mindi and I enjoyed, it¡¯s not far from here, I think.¡± Jin answered.


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s not far from here at all. I thought this building looked familiar. I didn¡¯t know Juniper lived here.¡± Mindi said.


    ¡°Yeah, she has a pretty nice place. I''m sure she will be happy to see you guys, she hasn¡¯t been able to hang out with us much so we are giving her a night out, without actually having to go out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± Mindi whispered. Jin looked over to her and reassured her.


    ¡°She¡¯s really nice, trust me. You¡¯ll see.¡± Jin said, smiling at her. Mindi was very shy and she seemed as she doesn¡¯t trust people too much.


    ¡°Ok.¡± She said, I noticed she didn¡¯t want to make eye contact with me. It made me wonder what she had been through. She was nice and soft spoken, but she loosens up when she¡¯s had a few drinks.


    I knocked on Juniper¡¯s door excited to see her, finally after almost 3 weeks, that felt like a lifetime. I could hear her run to the door and open it up. She smiled so hard when she saw me, I opened my arms as she ran directly to me. I grabbed her so quickly, I didn¡¯t want to let her go. She wrapped her arms and legs around me; she enveloped me instantly. I missed her so much; she held my head close to hers and we were just in our moment, just the two of us.


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡± She whispered as I held her.


    ¡°Aegiya, me too. I missed you so much, it feels so good to hold you.¡± I said. I heard Jin clear his throat, I had totally forgotten they were standing behind me. Juniper and I laughed as I put her down gently.


    ¡°Hi. Sorry.¡± Juniper said as she was holding my arm. ¡°Hi Jin and Mindi, I¡¯m so glad you guys were able to come. I¡¯ve been so busy with work I can¡¯t hang out as much as I would like.¡± She said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside Juni.¡± I said, turning her towards the door. I wanted to kiss her immediately, but I didn¡¯t want to make Jin and Mindi feel uncomfortable, so I had to get control.


    ¡°Ah, yes, let¡¯s.¡± Juniper said, opening the door and we all followed. Jin and Mindi had brought a bottle of wine; Juniper took the bottle to the refrigerator while I pulled out the charcuterie platter. Juniper looked cute in her pair of burgundy lounge pants, fluffy white socks and a blue crop top hoodie.


    I placed the game of the night, Monopoly, on the table in the living room along with drinks.


    I joined Juniper in the kitchen for a moment; I missed her so much, I wanted to get my moment in with her before we joined the others.


    ¡°Hi there.¡± I said coming up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I inhaled her scent as I kissed her on her cheek.


    ¡°Hello there.¡± She smiled and turned around to face me. She was so beautiful; it seemed as though she had gotten more beautiful; I hadn¡¯t seen her in what seemed like forever. I held her face in my hands and gently placed a kiss on her lips. I missed those lips of hers, so soft and plump, her lips welcomed me home.


    ¡°I missed you.¡± She said in between kisses.


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Are you staying tonight?¡± She asked. She didn¡¯t have to ask me twice.


    ¡°Yes.I.Am.¡± I said simply. She smiled and we joined the others in the living room.


    Juniper


    I was so happy to have Min Jun come over and spend some time with me. I have a very early start tomorrow for work, but I will take advantage of any free time I get to spend with him. I was happy for him to bring Jin and Mindi, it made it feel like a couples night, even though they are really not a couple. They are cute together, both of them are shy and Mindi is extremely timid; She just needs to break out of her shell. We haven¡¯t had a chance for us to really get to know each other, since the incident at the restaurant, so I was going to make it a point to get to know her a little better.


    We were in a heated game of Monopoly by the time our food order was delivered. We ordered so much food, Mindi helped me in the kitchen to prepare the food. .


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    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you came Mindi, we get to have some girl time. I¡¯ve been craving some, honestly I¡¯ve been craving any kind of time ¡®cuz I don¡¯t see anybody.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She said. She didn¡¯t know what to say, she¡¯s so shy, I had to find another approach.


    ¡°So Mindi, tell me about yourself. Were you born in Seoul?¡± I asked. She looked at me as if I had asked her if she had committed murder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, if you don¡¯t want to talk about personal stuff if it¡¯s hard for you. Trust me, I have some serious mother issues.¡± I said referring to my drama with my mama.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just not too many people asking me about, well - me.¡± She said, I felt so bad. Why would people not ask her or speak to her? I thought. Maybe because she doesn¡¯t really have the confidence to keep her head up and make eye contact with others. She was shy and no one took the time to get to know her.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, well, I would like to get to know all about you. That is, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± I asked and her eyes lit up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Great! I don¡¯t have any sisters, that I talk to anyway, so basically all I have are some really good friends who I can call my sisters.¡± I confessed. I felt that if I was open about my relationship with my family, then maybe Mindi would be willing to be open up about her personal life.


    ¡°What do you mean? You have sisters that you don¡¯t talk to?¡± She asked.


    ¡° Well, I have a step sister, but we are not friends. I caught my ex-boyfriend fucking my step sister in the bathroom.¡± I said bluntly. Mindi¡¯s mouth opened and her eyes widened, she covered her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sometimes I have no filter with my honesty.¡±


    ¡°No, I completely understand. I¡¯m just shocked that you are so happy and cheerful.¡±


    ¡°Well, just because something bad has happened to me, doesn¡¯t mean I need to wallow in it and feel bad everyday, I gotta look for the silver lining. It sucks because I got hurt, but I look at it like this, if it didn¡¯t happen I wouldn¡¯t be here with Min Jun, who I think is the best thing that has happened to me so far.¡±


    ¡°So far?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m optimistic, there¡¯s always great things that will happen as well. Shit happens, but it''s how you roll with the punches that come your way. You don¡¯t have to be a victim because shit¡¯s fucked up, sometimes you turn it around right back at the one that is throwing it.¡±


    ¡°So did you ever get your sister back?¡± She asked, she was open and curious. I had never seen this side of her before. She seems interested in what I¡¯ve been through, I figured she¡¯s had to deal with her share of shit and she just lets what happens, happen.


    ¡°Nah, not yet. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m really going to be honest. There is this thing called Karma and that comes back around like a Bitch. Sometimes, you can just let Karma handle it because when it comes back, it comes back hard like a motherfucker. Yet sometimes, when you¡¯re lucky, Karma can give you the opportunity to get them back.¡± I said.


    ¡°Really?¡± She said smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve never had that happen before. My sister and I don''t actually like each other. It¡¯s like I don¡¯t have a sister, honestly.¡± She said looking down, she looked as if she was thinking about the past.


    ¡°Well, you do now. I¡¯ll be there for you, whenever you need to talk. And hopefully, I can do the same in return.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course, I would like that.¡± She said smiling. She looked as if she had found her best friend.


    ¡°So Sis,¡± I playfully added. ¡°Tell me about you and Jin. How¡¯s that going?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, uh, well, uh.¡± She stammered, I threw her off center. ¡°Well, he¡¯s nice.¡± She muttered out.


    ¡°He is very nice. He likes you and from your response, you like him too. Have either one of you confessed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No!¡±She almost shouted, she started shaking as if she had seen a mouse or something. ¡°I, uh, just don¡¯t uh, want to be disappointed.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Wait, why do you think he would disappoint you? This man talks about you every day. He is really into you, but the thing is, he¡¯s shy, pretty much just like you.¡± I said honestly. She looked surprised. I wasn¡¯t going to sugar coat anything, she¡¯s too grown for that. I can understand she¡¯s shy but she is also an adult and she needs to learn how to process some serious shit.


    ¡°He is? I thought he didn¡¯t like me that much. I just thought he was being nice because we work together.¡±


    ¡°Girl, no he likes you, and a Lot from what Min Jun has been telling me.¡± I stated. She blushed and smiled, she really liked him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m not good at this Juniper. I don¡¯t know how to do this. What am I to do?¡± She started panicking. I grabbed her hands and made her face me.


    ¡°First, I want you to breathe.¡± I looked her directly in the eyes. I inhaled with the expectation of her doing the same. She finally caught on and we were breathing in out together. ¡°Ok good. Now listen Mindi, you got this. You can control your emotions, you just have to understand them. You know he likes you, Done. So now you let him know you like him and in doing so, you are allowing him to make the first move. That way he takes control of the situation. This is a way of letting the guy be a guy; it allows him to come forward to make a move. Yes, we women can do it, but sometimes it¡¯s nice to let a guy just be a guy and just enjoy being the woman. Nice guys usually treat nice women very nicely. And Jin is a really nice guy.¡± I said smiling. It¡¯s true and I know Jin to be a nice guy because he¡¯s friends with Min Jun.


    ¡°Thank you Juniper. No one ever broke it down for me or even helped me understand.¡± She said being appreciative.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I can help you. Just go along with the flow. There is no right way or wrong to trying to get to know a person and letting them know how you feel. As long as you are honest with yourself you should be fine. It¡¯s okay to be honest to your feelings, those are yours, you know how you feel more than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Juniper, how do you do it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°Stay so positive? Even though you¡¯ve been through that shit with your ex, and your mom, how do you keep going?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I have to. I can¡¯t let those who choose to do me wrong, see me down. I don¡¯t want them to think I¡¯m defeated. I will always come back up. Sometimes it may take longer than normal, but I will always come back up. I won¡¯t be down for long, and they will see me again with my head held high, proving to them no matter what shit they tried to put me through, I will always come out better than I went in. I won¡¯t let them see me sweat.¡± I said and I meant that shit. I didn¡¯t have time to sit and let someone keep me down because they feel that¡¯s where I belong, fuck them.


    ¡°I love that. I like the way you think, so positive. I wish I could say the same thing. I wish I had someone like you when I grew up.¡± She said.


    ¡°Well, you have me now, so hold your head up. Don¡¯t give anyone your power. That¡¯s yours, no one deserves it, especially if they don¡¯t treat you right. Keep your power close to you because there are those who will use it against you and leave you alone in the end. Your power is what makes you, you. Don¡¯t let anyone tell you who you are with your power, You tell them who you are with your power. Your power is life, Your life. You value that more than anything.¡± I said and she was taking it all in. She looked at me as I had given her some wise advice.


    ¡°Wow.¡± She looked at me as if I had opened something in her that had been dormant for a while and she started glowing.


    ¡°Now let''s go and put this on the dining table for us to eat. I¡¯m sure the guys are famished.¡± I said grabbing two big dishes of food while motioning to Mindi to grab a few bowls.


    ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m sure they are. Juniper, thank you for talking to me.¡± She said picking up two big bowls.


    ¡°Anytime Mindi.¡± We set all of the food on the table and sat down to eat.


    As we sat at the table, Min Jun and I were paying more attention to each other; letting Mindi and Jin find out a bit about each other. I saw Mindi pick a bite of food up from one of the bowls in, laying it on Jin¡¯s bowl of rice in front of him. He looked at her as if she had done the most lovable thing ever. He smiled at Mindi and she smiled back. She took another small serving of another dish and placed it in his bowl again. She was feeding her potential man. She wanted to make sure he had enough to eat. It was a beautiful gesture; I honestly think she will see small changes in her relationship for the better. She just needs to work on it. I''m sure she will call me if she has questions, and I will be more than happy to answer them all.

 To The Rescue

    MinJun


    ¡°Jagiya, He Found Me!¡± She cried through the phone. My blood went cold; that was all I heard and needed to hear to be honest. Juniper was crying and she sounded so scared. I couldn¡¯t understand most of what she was saying as her muffled crying covered the phone. She wasn¡¯t speaking much, but just the sound of her crying on the other end made me race over to her.


    I hadn¡¯t seen her and it was the middle of the week. We would usually video chat while we ate dinner so it would seem as though we were having a dinner date, but I had to go to her immediately. She was distraught, I can¡¯t even imagine what could have happened. Did she say he found her? Did she not get the position? Did someone in her family pass away? I hadn¡¯t a clue, but she needed me and I needed to be there for her.


    I arrived at her apartment and typed in the code; I entered immediately in a rush to find her. I found her on the couch, still crying.


    ¡°Juniper!¡± I yelled her name coming around the corner. She looked over quickly and ran to me. I embraced her and she cried harder. ¡°Shhhh, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here. Tell me what happened.¡± I said sitting down with her on the couch.


    ¡°He found me Min Jun. Caleb. He found me. He was here!¡± She said, closing her eyes so tight, tears streamed quickly down her cheeks. This motherfucker has found her, but how? How did he find her? This man is irritating me very much. Now he has my girlfriend crying uncontrollably and I needed to reassure her that everything would be okay.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, Aegiya, I¡¯m here now.¡± I held her and we rocked slowly until her cries died down. ¡°When did he come here?¡± I asked, speaking softly.


    ¡°He came about an hour ago. I called you as soon as I could, he blocked my door and wouldn¡¯t let me close it. He said he¡¯ll be back.¡± She said. I didn¡¯t hear my phone as I was in the studio; my phone was off to the side. I checked it after the class.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Juniper. I should have been here.¡± I felt really upset because this guy just won¡¯t leave her alone. He knows where she lives so now is the time for me to take control of this situation, he doesn¡¯t know where I live.


    ¡°How about you come to my place and stay while we sort this out?¡± I said, thinking it was for the best. Not only would she be with me, but she would be safe from this guy. I don¡¯t feel comfortable with her staying here alone; either she comes with me or I stay here.


    ¡°I want to go to your place.¡± She said in between sniffles. I wiped her tears away and kissed her lips softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to show up, ever.¡± She said. ¡°I opened the door thinking it was a package being delivered or Jina, my next door neighbor, but to see him standing there, with flowers acting as if this shit happened yesterday, is crazy. I swung open the door but he caught it with his foot and I couldn¡¯t close it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Juni. Why don¡¯t we grab a few things that you need to be comfortable over at my place for a while and we can go?¡± I asked. She shook her head in agreement and went to collect her things. I don¡¯t know if I can take too much more of this guy, who does he think he is? From my understanding they had broken up a while ago before Juniper relocated and he has been trying to get back with her ever since.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Well, if I have anything to do with it, he will not have the opportunity of being with Juniper anymore, now that she is with me. Juniper is my soulmate and I will do everything I can do to make sure she is happy. She¡¯s happy with me and that is enough for me. Juniper grabbed her a few outfits for the remainder of the week along with a few lounging outfits, her laptop, drawing tablet and other essentials to make her stay as comfy as possible. She looked a bit happy to be leaving. I figured it would be best for her to leave away from here for a few since we don¡¯t know exactly where he is and this won¡¯t give him the opportunity to just pop up again on her unannounced. Just before we got to my apartment, I stopped by a nice restaurant to pick up a few sweet desserts and some spicy chicken, Juniper¡¯s favorite, to help her feel better. She was happy she was coming to stay with me. I am more than happy having her with me as this eliminates me having to pick her up to take her to work, therefore it¡¯s a plus.


    Juniper


    Min Jun took me back to his place. Seeing Caleb at my door shook me to the core. I didn¡¯t believe he was standing in front of me; he was smiling as if he had found his most prized possession. He looked good as fuck but I was no longer interested. Caleb was the type of guy that always dressed well when ever going out., However, he was still ugly inside which I saw the true Caleb looking back at me grinning.


    ¡°Min Jun, I want to thank you for being there when I needed you. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m a mess, I just seem to have so much shit going on every time I turn around. You met me dealing with a lot of shit, shit that is still here!¡± I said getting frustrated as we walked to the door of his apartment.


    ¡°Jagiya,¡± He said as we walked inside his apartment. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I will be with you always. I don¡¯t want you to feel like you are a burden, because you are not. You are very special to me and I will make sure that you won¡¯t have to look over your shoulder.¡± Min Jun said.


    I wrapped my arms around him, meditating in his embrace. I could hear his heartbeat as he held me close. He touched my hair and caressed my face. I looked at him and we smiled. He leaned down, tipped my chin and planted a small, sweet kiss upon my lips. I wanted to tell him I loved him so much, but I just couldn¡¯t. We needed to make it through all of this mess; I needed to see if he would actually be there, along with me through all of this.


    Since I had to relocate for a few days, I took it upon myself to spend as much time with him as I could. I missed him so much and even though this situation with Caleb sucks, it allowed me to have more time with Min Jun than I thought I would have this week. Min Jun placed my things in his room, I actually got a space of my own in his dresser. I was excited as we were sharing his space, even if it was temporary. By the time I came out of the shower, Min Jun had already laid down on the bed but he had fallen asleep. He was trying to wait for me to finish in the shower, however I had an extra long shower. I was thinking about how, months later, Caleb still has some type of control over my life. I¡¯m so tired of this asshole, I¡¯m just ready for him to leave me the fuck alone.


    I could have watched Min Jun sleeping all night, he was just so fucking cute. I moved his bangs away from his eyes, glancing over his face admiring God¡¯s magnificent creation. His lips were blushed red as his eyelashes were short and cute against his almond shaped eyes. I loved his features, his smooth and flawless skin along with his dark eyebrows and hair. He opened his eyes to see me admiring him. He smiled, which made me blush.


    ¡°You like what you see?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Very much.¡± I answered. He pulled me towards him and I fell on top of him. He held me close, kissing my neck, shoulders and my collarbone.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I started. He looked at me and placed his finger over my lips. He looked at me and smiled. He caressed my face lovingly; he smiled and planted a small kiss on my lips.


    ¡°I do too.¡± He said. He knew what I was about to say, but he was right, now wasn¡¯t the time, not while we are in the middle of the storm. We already know, but now is not the time, not just yet. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll wait, as long as he knows. I took that night as a loss for me getting any extra work done, but a win for me as I got to fall asleep in Min Jun¡¯s arms. To be honest when I think about it, it was a win-win for me.

 What The Fuck?!

    MinJun


    Finally the weekend has come and Juniper submitted her concept project, so now it¡¯s just a waiting game. She was so happy that she got to work on it, she actually got the chance to bounce some ideas off of me, so I was proud to be able to help her with her dream. I fully support and love to see her get into her game, I can see the excitement in her eyes. She makes my heart smile each time I see her. I was getting ready to go out with Juniper, Jin and Mindi to the movies and food, a nice night out. It was great, we were finally getting out the house to have a good time. I wanted to dance with Juniper and have a great time. Finishing up at work, Jin came over to my desk with Mindi as we were heading out the door.


    ¡°Thanks guys for this, I think this is exactly what she needs, a fun night out after the week she has had. I¡¯m glad we planned this when you guys came over. I need to have some fun too, it¡¯s been stressful.¡± I said walking out to the elevator. Jin and Mindi followed closely behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡¯ve had to go through this, it doesn¡¯t seem fair. You guys seem to get some lousy breaks each time things are getting better. It¡¯s like these people are cursing you on getting together but fate brings you two together, no matter what.¡± Jin said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Fate. Destiny. We are supposed to be together, but the people trying to pull us apart don¡¯t understand they are not the people we¡¯re supposed to be with.¡± I looked down thinking about Juniper and her smile. It made me smile, I could hear her calling me Aegiya.


    I love the way her lips feel against mine. I touched my bottom lip and smiled. I looked to the side and noticed Mindi watching me, it looked as if she had been watching me for a while, when I was lost in thought. She quickly looked away, trying to disappear into the background. She¡¯s a bit shy, but she¡¯s cool. We all have issues and sometimes she looks like she has some deep rooted ones. She talks to Jin and he loves talking to her, so what works for him works for me.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s like when you both get over whatever obstacle that comes your way, you guys get stronger.¡± Jin said. He could see the love we have for each other.


    ¡°Aw thank you, Jin. It makes me feel better to know that you care for my well being.¡± I giggled and glanced at Mindi.


    ¡°Ah man, I just trying to learn from you. I see the looks you give each other, I want that.¡± He said laughing, looking down nervously. He slowly looked over to Mindi and she already had her eyes on him. Her eyes dart away quickly, being shocked at his gaze, then they come back to meet him again; both of them smile shyly away. They have it, it¡¯s cute when you see it between a couple, it¡¯s down right magical.


    We picked up Juniper and hit the town. She looked good; She wore a pair of Timberland boots, a pair of basic black pants, a nice, big, white hoodie sweater which she got out of my closet, with her quarter length black winter coat to match. She matched me with my black and white track suit and a nice pair of Doc Martens. We hit the local place for a nice variety of dishes I wanted Juniper to try, and of course her favorite - chicken and beer. I loved the fact that I could hang out with my best friend and my girlfriend at the same time. Mindi was loosening up after the second beer round. We were having a great time. We decided to hit the clubs after we got our stomachs full, we wanted to dance the night away. It wasn¡¯t until we hit the third club when we realized that we were being followed.


    I had to go to the bathroom and I left Jin at the table waiting for the girls to come back to the table from dancing. Juniper and Mindi were dancing on the dance floor with a few other people having a good time. I had to pee really bad as I ran to the bathroom. I thought it was going to be a photo finish but I got there just in time. After tidying up and washing my hands, I walked out of the bathroom, right into Samantha.


    Juniper


    I was finally getting the opportunity to let my hair down and have some fucking fun. I was on the dance floor, dancing with Mindi, Jin¡¯s love interest. When she gets some alcohol in her, she relaxes and she gets talkative and energetic. Mindi and I were dancing to a nice song, really enjoying ourselves. Min Jun had gone to the bathroom, from what I could see; he was no longer at the table as Jin was sitting here alone. I closed my eyes and was feeling the song. I was in the moment and disappeared in the background, but something jarred me out of that moment; it was the smell of cologne. It just wasn¡¯t any smell, it was one in particular. I could smell it everywhere and there was only one person who LOVED the smell of it so much it was like he bathed in it. I could smell the scent so much I could have sworn I had poured the bottle on my hands; Grey Flannel, yuck. I opened my eyes to see who could have passed me and left their scent lingering; but no, it was much worse as my eyes landed directly on Caleb standing in front of me.


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    I totally freeze, my body comes to a halt. Why is he here? Why is the motherfucker stalking me? I don¡¯t want to cause a scene and I didn¡¯t want anyone to notice that I was about to shit bricks in this place. I started dancing and moving away slowly. Caleb was dancing and moving towards me. I turned around and Mindi was dancing with Jin so they didn¡¯t notice Min Jun hadn¡¯t returned and Caleb was here.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I said swaying back and forth.


    ¡°I wanted to see you Juniper. I missed you.¡± He said moving his body in front of me.


    ¡°¡±You¡¯re delusional just like my mother. It¡¯s been over for months! Why do you think I want you back? I have a boyfriend. Why can¡¯t you understand that?¡± I said walking off the dance floor over to the bar, with Caleb right behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not delusional. Yeah I fucked up baby, but it¡¯s been a while. We need to stop this game, you¡¯ve made your point so let¡¯s go back to being us again.¡± He said. I didn¡¯t know what to do first, laugh in his stupid ass face or knock that motherfucker out. I really wanted to choose the latter but I didn¡¯t want to fight ¡®cuz I didn¡¯t have my backup, Chanel, with me. She would¡¯ve had my back for sure.


    ¡°You need to move on Caleb, there is no us anymore. Did you forget that you fucked my sister? Did you? How long had y¡¯all been fucking behind my back? You got the audacity to ask me to get back with you after you fucked my sister?!¡± I yelled, only a select few people who stood close heard the conversation over the music.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re mad and we took a break, but we can make this work. I admitted my mistakes, Can¡¯t we grow from this?¡± He said, trying to hold my hand.


    As I was pulling my hand away from his, Min Jun walked up with Samantha right behind him. He was walking away from her; she was closely holding his wrist and he was trying to pull away. Min Jun and I came face to face with each other; with Caleb holding my hand and Samantha holding on to Min Jun¡¯s wrist. What The Fuck is Happening right now? I thought.


    MinJun


    ¡°What the hell Samantha?!¡± I said as I realized who it was. She had a smirk on her face, she had planned this. Has she been the one following me? ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t a girl have a nice night out?¡± She asked shyly. Yes, she can, but why here of all places.


    ¡°Yes you can.¡± I responded and started walking away, she stepped in front of me.


    ¡°I saw you go into the restroom when I crossed the floor, I figured I would come over and say hello.¡± She said getting closer to me.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve said hello.¡± I quipped.


    ¡°Yes, but you didn¡¯t.¡± She said, She was right, I hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hello Samantha.¡± I stated. I didn¡¯t want to cause a scene with her so I just played along.


    ¡°That¡¯s better Min Jun. I wanted to get the opportunity to talk to you without your girlfriend around.¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh she¡¯s here.¡± I said looking around and not seeing her on the dance floor. I wondered where she went, my eyes darting from side to side of the place.


    ¡°Well, you never got back to me about helping me out on my channel, however it seems to be that you have become quite the spectacle on Youtube now.¡± She said, I¡¯m sure she would find out. I never researched her or her channel so I have no clue about what she does on it or even the name of the channel. My eyes got bigger as I realized that she could be KpopPrincess.


    ¡°Yeah, about that. I didn¡¯t know things would go that route. I didn¡¯t want to do your channel, honestly. I didn¡¯t want anything to do with you Samantha. I didn¡¯t think it would be appropriate for me to help you out. I don¡¯t dance for fame, I dance because I love it. And we both know, it¡¯s the fame you are after.¡±


    ¡°Well I love you dancing. You know I have always loved your body.¡± She said grabbing my waist getting closer to me. I grabbed her wrists and pushed her away from me.


    ¡°You need to leave me alone.¡± I said trying to walk away. She stepped in front of me blocking the way.


    ¡°Does she know that you danced with me at the studio? Does she know that its posted online? Or maybe I should go and show her, you think she¡¯d like it?¡± She said going through her phone.


    I walked around her to get away and she followed closely behind me. However, on the way over to the front of the club, something caught my eye. I saw Juniper with Caleb; he was holding her hand and Juniper was just looking at him. I walked over to them and we caught each other¡¯s gaze just as Samantha grabbed my wrist from behind. What the Fuck is going on?!

 We Need to Talk

    MinJun


    I walked over to Juniper and Caleb with Samantha in tow. This didn¡¯t look good at all. Why did the exes have to be here? I looked at Caleb and she straightened himself up and stood directly in front of me.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± He asked as if he was protecting Juniper.


    ¡°No, you can not.¡± I said to Caleb. I looked at Juniper and she was looking at Samantha, who was still holding onto my arm. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m ready to go.¡± She glanced back and forth from me to Samantha. I removed Samantha¡¯s hand from my arm and she looked disgusted.


    ¡°Are you serious Min Jun?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, he is. Is there a problem?¡± Juniper asked, stepping towards her. I held her back and turned to Samantha.


    ¡°Samantha. You know this is not going to work. I don¡¯t know what games you are playing, but you need to stop.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to be with her, we have history. You know we do. You can¡¯t deny me!¡± She said. I felt Juniper jump towards her and I cracked a smile. She was ready to rumble for real.


    ¡°I care for her and she cares for me. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± I responded.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be Juniper?¡± Caleb stated from behind me. I turned to him and looked at him square in the eyes.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be.¡± I said, smiling slyly, knowing he was defeated. I grabbed Juniper¡¯s hand and held it up for both of them to see and we walked away from the toxic couple.


    Even though I was holding Juniper¡¯s hand while walking back towards our table, I still had a funny feeling in my stomach. Why was Juniper talking to him? Why was he holding her hand and why was she allowing him to touch her? I¡¯m sure she was wondering about the same with Samantha following me around like a lost puppy. We needed to have a serious talk to gain some reassurance between us because I don¡¯t think that is the last time we will hear from Samantha and Caleb. They are finding out where we located and just popping up on us. I don¡¯t need to have any doubts festering quietly in our relationship, unfortunately tonight¡¯s actions didn¡¯t help; They just created them.


    Juniper


    When we got back to the table, Min Jun and I hadn¡¯t spoken about the subject and I didn¡¯t want to bring it up in front of Jin and Mindi. Jin spoke quietly with Min Jun for a sec while I downed a few shots of soju. I wanted to forget what just happened, but then again when I think about it, I didn¡¯t want to forget. My mind started allowed doubt to creep in and questions started forming; Why was he with her? How long had he been with her before he came over to me? Why was she touching him and why did he look flushed? I had scenarios played out in my head before we¡¯ve spoken a word about it. I¡¯m sure Min Jun has had questions as well; Caleb sure knows he has a way of fucking shit up. Why can¡¯t he just leave me the fuck alone?!


    Min Jun suggested another place, for which I was down. I didn¡¯t want to stay there anymore because I would get locked up. I wish Chanel was here, wait a minute, no I wouldn¡¯t; then the both of us would be locked up. I just wished she was here so I could unload some shit on her and she wouldn¡¯t judge me about it; she knows I¡¯m just trying to make sense of this shit so I can figure out what to do. I don¡¯t really think Min Jun would judge me, I just don¡¯t want him to look at me as a person who is totally mental. My anxiety made me feel like I¡¯m drowning. I¡¯ll get so wrapped up in the waves, sometimes I forget to breathe and it comes to a point where I explode. I needed to get shit under control; but in order to do so, I needed a release. I need a good cry, a good scream, a good walkabout, and a good fuck. I need to release, emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually but technically not in that order.


    We decided to kick it at another spot, not far from the studio. The music was hitting just right and we all were having a blast. Min Jun got a few pics with a few fans that were there. I didn¡¯t mind sharing him with them, they help him keep his dream alive. He does it for his fans as they enjoy watching him and he enjoys dancing. Min Jun is so passionate about his dancing, he tells a story when he dances; he really knows how to set the mood. They love to see him because he is really sweet, gorgeous and honest. He loves the fans because they appreciate him for being real and grounded as an idol. On occasion I was asked to join their photos; it seems as though people were loving us as a couple as well as I am not some type of stuck up bitch who is annoyed by his fame. Dancing is his ¡®thing¡¯, and it¡¯s something that he¡¯s been trying to make it as a career, so why would I not support him? He supports me in my ¡®gaming¡¯ and I should for him.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Min Jun took my hand and walked me over to a table off to the side, away from everyone. I knew he wanted to talk as much as I wanted to. I had a feeling deep in my gut that this conversation could go in two different ways: It could go well and there would be no questions and a great understanding of what is expected or it could go bad and doubt takes over the conversation and we leave with more questions answers.


    MinJun


    I pulled Juniper over to a table in the corner away from everyone. I wanted to talk to her as the situation was eating me alive. I needed to know what Caleb said to her. I wanted to know if she was okay. I also needed to explain about Samantha.


    ¡°How are you?¡± I said sitting next to her facing her slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. How are you?¡± She said, looking at me innocently as normal.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± I said sitting next to her, not saying anything but saying so much in my head. She noticed that I was contemplating something serious.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind? And don¡¯t tell me ¡®nothing¡¯ because I can see there is.¡± She said,


    ¡°I do have questions.¡± I finally said.


    ¡°I have questions too.¡± She said in response. Here we go, I thought. She had every right to have some questions. We got into this relationship quickly, so here we are raw and uncut, trying to figure out who the other person is and how much weight that person may have within the heart.


    ¡°I figured you would. Samantha means nothing to me Juniper. I swear.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but she just keeps popping up in places we are. Is this bitch following you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I think she is or she has someone following me. I found out there¡¯s another video also.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± She asked. ¡°This bitch is crazy.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s unstable, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°But why were you with her? She was following you and she had your wrist.¡± She boldly asked.


    ¡°I ran into her outside the restroom. She was standing outside when I came out.¡± I said looking at her directly. ¡°She was asking me why didn¡¯t I respond back to her about me helping her with her channel. She stressed she wasn¡¯t too happy that other videos had gotten released and gone viral.¡±


    ¡°I bet. Why do you keep satisfying her craziness?¡± I had been waiting for that question.


    ¡°She asked for my help. I didn¡¯t think she would do this. I didn¡¯t think she would want me back, the thought never crossed my mind.¡± I said.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said. ¡°She sounds just as delusional as Caleb. He was acting as if all that happened between us was a small fight and asking if we could go back to being a couple. He¡¯s psychotic.¡±


    ¡°I have a question that I want to ask, but I don¡¯t want to ask.¡± I said. Her looks turned serious and she focused in. She was sexy as hell when she got focused. No matter what I was about to say she was willing to take it full blast; she was an honest woman and I wouldn¡¯t want to hurt her in any way.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever cheated on anyone?¡± I asked. I knew my answer, but would she be able to handle my answer. iIt happened after Samantha, I had a moment where I didn¡¯t believe love existed after we broke up. I looked at Juniper getting solemn and relaxed. She was thinking about something truthful and she looked at me.


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± She spoke openly and honestly. ¡°I cheated on Caleb. It was after the first time he cheated on me.¡±


    ¡°He cheated on you and you stayed with him?¡± I questioned sarcastically and remembered that I spoke too much. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes you did and I deserve it. I was stupid. But yes, I did. But that is not something I do anymore.¡± She said confidently. I believed her. I felt she wouldn¡¯t destroy what we have. ¡°Let me ask you Min Jun, have you ever?¡±


    I was hesitant but we were letting it all hang out, from this day forward as people who are true to their words, these were those moments for which they ring true.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I was in a relationship with someone and I cheated¡­with Samantha.¡± I hesitated to tell her but I needed and wanted to be honest with her. She looked at me, shocked a bit. I wasn¡¯t sure how to read her at that moment. I knew a million questions started running into her brain.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that.¡± She said.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said, holding my head down. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you. But I had to, because I always want to be honest with you. I don¡¯t want to be the reason that this relationship doesn¡¯t work.¡± I said honestly. I looked at her face and she had a calming look upon her face. She seemed tired, I¡¯m sure she had had enough of guys playing games with her heart. I wasn¡¯t playing games, I wanted her to be with me.


    ¡°Thank you for being honest. I appreciate that.¡± She finally said holding my hand. I leaned over and kissed her on her lips. It seemed a bit off but I didn¡¯t want to say anything; we had already dealt with a lot already that night.


    Shortly after, we decided to call it a night. I dropped Jin and Mindi off at Jin¡¯s place; he was going to take Mindi home while I took Juniper to her apartment. She said she wanted to stay at her place for the night. I knew she had a lot to process and I didn¡¯t want to make matters worse so I reluctantly agreed. She said she was fine for the night, after seeing Caleb at the bar, she figured he wasn¡¯t going to come by her place since he had his opportunity to speak with her at the club. I watched her go into her apartment building and my heart felt as though it would be the last time I would see her. I knew it wouldn¡¯t, but just the idea that things may change between Juniper and I, scared me greatly. Suddenly, I felt heartbroken.

 What to Believe?

    Juniper


    I landed the position for my company, which I was very excited to get. My team leader said I knocked it out the box with my concept project and said that after the current project, I would most definitely be a Team Leader for my project! I was so happy. I told Min Jun and he was excited for me as well. He had been busy with work and dancing with Alex over at the studio. The studio had been gaining attention since Alex got to be the choreographer for the idol group so they actually started uploading their own videos. However other, more personal videos were still being posted of Min Jun online.


    Min Jun and I hadn¡¯t been able to see each other like we used to. Things kind of changed since that night at the club when we ran into Caleb and Samantha. I¡¯ve been getting random texts from Caleb wanting to tell me something about Samantha. I hadn¡¯t spoken to him but I¡¯m wanting to know what was going on with her because she just kept popping up.  And also the fact that Min Jun told me he cheated on his girlfriend with Samantha! I have been trying to get over that one. I didn¡¯t think that MinJun may have a ¡®soft¡¯ spot for her.  I must admit, that threw me for a motherfucking loop.


    I was happy that it was the weekend and Chanel had made it back to Seoul.  It was a bit chilly outside which made it  felt like the weather in Chicago around this time. It was Christmas Eve in Seoul and the weather was just like at home, a nice balmy high of 31 degrees Fahrenheit.


    ¡°Girl, so have you talked to Min Jun lately?¡± Chanel asked as she was eating some chips and dip, flicking through the channels on the tv.


    ¡°No I haven¡¯t. I miss him, but I¡¯ve been so busy with work. And that thing that happened at the club. I¡¯m trying to put my priorities in order.


    ¡°Yeah man, that shit was fucked up. I wish I would have been there.¡± Chanel said snacking on her chips and dip.


    ¡°What the fuck are you eating?¡± I asked as she was smacking.


    ¡°On some good as shit that you ain¡¯t gonna know cuz you gonna try and snack on it too.¡± She smiled, laughed and returned to flipping a channel.  She finally landed on pulling up Hulu to swipe through to the Masked Singer.


    My phone goes off and it¡¯s Caleb.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m at your door.¡± He said. I don¡¯t believe this. Now he wants to just show up. I¡¯m tired of fighting at this point.


    ¡°Girl, Caleb at the door.¡± I yell at Chanel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the door.¡± She said getting off the couch to open the door. She sways over to open the door and stared at Caleb.


    ¡°Hey Chanel.¡± Caleb said dryly as he entered the door.


    ¡°Hey Stupid.¡± Chanel replied. ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± She said. I gotta love her. She keeps it real.


    ¡°Merry Christmas Chanel.¡± Caleb replies. Chanel walks back to the couch and Caleb follows her to the living room.  I walked out the room whilst looking at Caleb in my house, checking out my shit.


    ¡°Hey Caleb.¡± I said sitting down in the lounge chair across from Caleb.


    ¡°Merry Christmas Juniper.¡± He said with a smile. He had a gift he was holding. ¡°You still looking good girl. Damn.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck do you want Caleb? Why are you here?¡± I said being irritated. I¡¯m really tired of seeing him. I crossed a whole, entire body of water to not see this person.


    ¡°Ok look. First off, Merry Christmas. Even though we are over here away from family, I thought we could put down the fight and call a truce for at least one night. And I have information that I think might be beneficial to you.¡± Caleb said, holding out a gift bag for me and Chanel. The guy knows how to play the game well. I said fuck it so quick, I surprised myself; I love gifts. I didn¡¯t give a fuck that it was from Caleb.  Seriously though, I deserve so much more from this stupid motherfucking asshole.ao Yes, I will take that fucking gift bag. Chanel knows too and she grabbed hers, I think we both snatched the bags almost at the same time.


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    ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± We said in unison. He laughed and we giggled. I searched through the bag and the guy knows how to shop for a woman, a little too well. It was all Korean brands so I don¡¯t know exactly what some of it was, however they did have some English descriptions; it looked like dude spent some money. The bag included parfums, skin care products, and make up that actually matched our skin tones from Fenty Beauty.


    ¡°So what y¡¯all up to?¡± He said sitting back and relaxing.


    ¡°Just relaxing, we ain''t trying to go out, it¡¯s cold like back home. Besides, we are good with each other, having our own little Christmas. We can have a good time right here and take a break from the clubs.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m hitting the clubs after this. So let me tell you this.¡± He said looking at me. ¡°Tell your boy, he needs to watch his back with this chick. She is out for him and you need to watch your back too. She planned all of this shit, honestly I think she is a little wacko.¡± He said


    ¡°Really? Well your ass don¡¯t help much.¡± Chanel asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m for real. This girl got a screw loose y¡¯all.¡± He said looking serious. Or it was all a joke, we really didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Why are we supposed to believe you? You hanging out with her.¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I might be crazy about you Juniper, but I know when you don¡¯t want me anymore. I know when to call it quits.¡± He said, looking sincere.


    ¡°How in the fuck did you get mixed up with her anyway?¡± Chanel asked; I was curious also.


    ¡°Yeah, how did you find Min Jun¡¯s ex-girlfriend?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I got in touch with her through YouTube. She has this channel that is dedicated to Kpop Idols and she posted some of Min Jun with his comeback.¡± He said.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I knew that there was a channel that was posting videos. ¡°Do you know her channel?¡±


    ¡°I can find it, but I want to show you this.¡± He said pulling up a video. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he told you or not about this. I know you have always wanted to be honest, all cards on the table.¡±


    It was a video of Min Jun dancing with Samantha at the studio. It was for a class, but here they are dancing, close. I hadn¡¯t seen this video and Min Jun never told me that Samantha had come to the studio. Why didn¡¯t he say anything about it to me? Doubt just came in and started taking a nap on the couch in my brain.


    ¡°So I want you to tell you to be careful with him. He might be playing you to get back with her. Samantha got something planned and I¡¯m just saying. She¡¯s fucking serious about dude.¡± Caleb said, sounding concerned.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fucking serious about dude.¡± I said, looking at Caleb. He looked at me and it was as if a little piece in him broke. He realized that I had given my heart to another.


    ¡°What did she have planned?¡± Chanel asked as she was going through her bag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, she won''t tell me until I show up at the location. I told you, because she has all of this planned and I think she got something big.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I said pushing back the phone, I didn¡¯t want to see the video anymore.


    ¡°I take it that he didn¡¯t tell you about the dance class she had with him, huh?¡± He asked. I stayed silent, not wanting him to be correct.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason he didn¡¯t say anything. Juniper will find out.¡± Chanel said having confidence in Min Jun.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m just saying, how much do you know about this dude?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well I thought I knew you and look where that got me.¡± I replied quickly.


    ¡°Oooooooo day-um.¡± Chanel said from the other side of the room.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s my queue to bounce. I¡¯ll holla at ya later. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.¡± He said walking towards the door. I followed him to the door. He turned around and looked at me. He was still looking fine, but I can never forget what he did to me and for that, he will always be ugly.


    ¡°Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Caleb.¡± I said holding the door open. He walked out, stopped and looked back. He looked like he was going to say something but he stopped himself.


    ¡°Merry Christmas Juniper. Happy New Year too.¡± He said. I could hear the ring of the elevator and he ran to go catch it. I closed the door wondering why he hesitated, he probably was going to say something about missing me; then suddenly someone knocked on my door. It startled me as I had just turned away from the door and wondered who could it be this quickly. It had to be Caleb, I thought, he must have forgotten something. I opened the door to meet Min Jun.

 Who To Believe?

    Min Jun


    Juniper and I haven¡¯t seen too much of each other since the club incident. We still get the daily call in, the video calls have decreased and Juniper has been going to work from her place. She landed the position, I knew she would, she¡¯s very talented and she deserved it. But with her working so much, we aren¡¯t able to see each other. I miss her so much. I just want to talk to her and reassure her that I don¡¯t want Samantha back and I would never cheat again.  I needed her to understand that me cheating with Samantha back then was a total mistake and it never should¡¯ve happened, but I can¡¯t take it back because it happened.


    I had bought Juniper a Christmas gift and I wanted to give it to her so I decided to drop by her place to give it to her. I also had one for Chanel as well. I had been out earlier delivering my gifts to my friends and my last stop was Juniper¡¯s. I reached Juniper¡¯s floor and walked out the elevator door; I had to step to the side as a guy ran around the corner to the elevator. I turned as he caught the doors from closing. I recognized him, it was Caleb.  I froze in the hallway as the doors closed over his direct stare towards me. Was he looking at me? Did he just come from Juniper¡¯s place? Why in the fuck is this happening?  I picked up my pace to Juniper¡¯s door; when I turned the corner, I heard a door close and it seemed as if it was on Juniper¡¯s side.


    I walked over to her door and knocked, she quickly opened the door and looked surprised to see me. She looked beautiful and comfortable. I loved the curve of her body; she was not built like the normal Korean woman, she was thick and shapely. Her hips flowed wide and around; symmetrical with her ass. She had on a pair of light blue jeans, mismatched socks and house shoes. She had a cute gray Fila sweatshirt on and her hair hung loose with curls hanging over her forehead. She was just herself and I cared for her so much. She smiled when she realized it was me and she opened her arms as I approached her.


    ¡°Oh Min Jun, I didn¡¯t expect you so soon.¡± She said as I wrapped my arms around her.


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡± I said. I didn¡¯t care to know if that was Caleb or not at that moment, I wanted to be present in that moment having her wrap herself around me. I picked her up and wrapped her legs around my waist as I walked into the apartment. I kicked off my shoes quickly and carried her into the living room.


    ¡°Hey Min Jun!¡± Chanel sang as I dropped Juniper on the couch. Chanel stood and gave me a big, tight hug. ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± She said, I smiled and laughed. She always brings a smile to my face.


    ¡°Merry Christmas Chanel. Here this is for you. I was going to leave it for you and ask Juniper to deliver it  for me, so I¡¯m glad I''m able to give it to you.¡± I said, handing her the bag. She smiled a big smile and slightly bowed.


    ¡°Gamsahabnida.¡± Chanel said. My eyes widened, she was learning the Korean language too.


    ¡°Good!¡± I said holding up two thumbs up and giggled. I turned to Juniper and handed her the other bag.


    ¡°Aegiya, Merry Christmas.¡± I said kissing her on the cheek. I removed my coat and hung it up as she peeked into the bag.


    ¡°Merry Christmas. I thought you were coming later.¡± She said, I sat down on the couch next to her and she leaned back with her gift bag.


    ¡°I finished everything a bit early and I really wanted to see you.¡± I said caressing her face. She smiled and puckered her lips for a kiss.


    ¡°Alright y¡¯all, y¡¯all can stop with all that. I don¡¯t have anyone here, wait to y¡¯all get to the room.¡± Chanel said as she was still going through the bag. She reached the air pods. ¡°Aw Damn Min Jun, thank you!¡± She screamed. I laughed, Juniper giggled.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I stated. Juniper handed me a box complete with a bow.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I was excited that she got me a gift. I hope she enjoys hers, she only knows of one, the other is in my coat pocket.


    ¡°I hope you like it.¡± I said as she pulled out a pretty decorated box finished off with a red bow.


    She slid the bow off and opened the box. Inside were two his and hers bracelets. Hers had a small, thin leather braided strap with a silver nameplate, with an inscription: ¡®geuui yeon-in¡¯ in Korean hangul letters; mine had the same leather strap and the inscription: ¡®geunyeoui yeon-in¡¯. She looked at both of them and smiled.


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    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Juniper asked, looking at both of them. I took her hand and picked up her bracelet.


    ¡°His Lover.¡± I bluntly stated. Juniper blushed as did I. She smiled as she held out her wrist while I placed it on her. She picked up the other bracelet and I held out my wrist. ¡°And this one says, Her Lover.¡± I said looking at her smile. She leaned over and gave me a nice, wet, soft kiss. I missed her so much, but I have to control myself, we were not alone.


    ¡°Y¡¯all, I¡¯m going home. I don¡¯t need this shit.¡± Chanel said, picking up her bags and heading for the door.


    ¡°No Chanel, don¡¯t go. We¡¯ll stop, promise.¡± Juniper said quickly.


    ¡°Yes, please stay, we will be good.¡± I said, pleading with her to sit down. Chanel rolled her eyes and sat down, she smiled and we giggled. ¡°Good, because I didn¡¯t feel like being cold and alone. I¡¯m staying on the couch.¡± She said, Juniper giggled. I wanted to talk to Juniper first before I gave her the other present.


    ¡°Juniper, can I speak with you privately for a moment?¡± I asked softly in her ear. She stood up and held out her hand; I took it and followed. She walked over to her bedroom as I grabbed a small bag out of my coat pocket.


    We went inside her room and closed the door. We sat down on the bed, facing each other and holding hands. I wanted to make everything right again, but I didn¡¯t know how, I don¡¯t even know how shit got this bad so quickly.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you something.¡± I started. She looked at me and her face changed to focus. She looked at me intensely.  ¡°Do you trust me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do and I don¡¯t, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± She said and it stung a bit, because she said she didn¡¯t. But it was an honest answer as I had the same feelings. However, I wanted to work past them and I needed to know if she was the type of woman who is willing to work past the obstacles or does she jump ship and run away?


    ¡°Thank you for being honest.¡±


    ¡°How about you, do you trust me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I did, but I¡¯m wavering.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± She said changing her tone.


    ¡°Only because I saw Caleb earlier.¡± Her face froze. She knew I was right, it was him. She searched for a response and came up with one to match.


    ¡°Oh. He showed me the video. The one with you and Samantha at the studio.¡± She spoke softly. I had nothing to say. I hadn¡¯t told her about that video that was floating around.


    Since the first video that leaked online, people have been interested in my life now. They want to know how am I doing as an ex-trainee with a normal job by day and a dance instructor at night. It seems as though they have created an online story with Juniper and I being in a relationship, which everyone seems to love. We are a couple  they enjoy seeing, as per the comments on the videos that I¡¯ve read. I have to thank Jin,  as he shows me any videos he finds online. He also found the video with Samantha and me dancing at the studio. She had come in and paid for class, unfortunately I was the only one who wasn¡¯t booked at the moment. The amount she paid to book me for the remainder of the day, could have paid my rent for 2 months. I didn¡¯t want to take money from her to give her leverage, so I had her donate it to the studio. I didn¡¯t tell Juniper about it because I didn¡¯t want her to be worried about Samantha; I have no feelings for her, but not telling Juniper seems to have put me in a bad position.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about it. I didn¡¯t think about it. It meant nothing.¡± I wasn¡¯t helping my case.


    ¡°Caleb came over to warn me about Samantha.¡± She said, My eyes widened and I became concerned.


    ¡°What did he mean?¡±


    ¡°He said that she really wants to be back with you and that she¡¯s not going to stop until she splits us apart.¡±


    ¡°Well that won¡¯t happen.¡± I said holding her hands. She smiled and looked down at our hands.


    ¡°Are you sure? Because all of this shit that is happening, I don¡¯t know.¡± She said looking worried. Her big brown eyes looked at my soul. She was looking for reassurance, she was looking for guidance.


    ¡°Yes. I promise. We are going to be together, forever.¡± I said, and I meant it. ¡°I know there is a lot of stuff coming at us at the moment, but I¡¯m not giving up on us because I want you to be with me. I want to take care of you, and I will do all that I can to make sure that happens and that you¡¯re happy.¡± I said. She was shocked and thrown off. She looked as if she had fallen in love with me. She covered her mouth as I pulled out the small box from the small bag. Her eyes bulged as I slowly opened the ring box. It was a pair of couple rings, the engraving matched the bracelets.


    ¡°I promise to be with you and only you, forever and always.¡± I said holding out her ring that I pulled from the box.


    ¡°Oh Min Jun.¡± She said, holding up her hand. I slid the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly. She picked up the other and slid it on my ring finger.


    ¡°I promise to be with you and only you, forever and always.¡± She said, I was happy and my emotions took control. I started tearing up and looked down. Juniper noticed and she tipped my head up; she had been crying too. I grabbed her and she wrapped her arms around me. I loved her and she loved me, even though we were still doubting.  We were determined to fight for this love.

 Opportunity of a Lifetime

    Min Jun


    My company was having a charity event for New Year¡¯s Eve and this was my opportunity for me to be exclusive with Juniper. I wanted to introduce her as my girlfriend. This was an important event for my company and I think Juniper would fit right in. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to come to this suit and tie thing alone. Mindi and Jin would be there along with Taehyung and Se-ra, whom I¡¯m sure Juniper would be happy to see.


    Spending Christmas with Juniper was amazing. She loved the couples¡¯ rings, I would catch her looking at the ring and the bracelet. She had given me a necklace with her name on the nameplate. Chanel stayed over and was making breakfast as Juniper and I were laying in the bed. I wanted to spend as much time as I could holding her; especially since she had been so busy with work.


    ¡°Hey Aeigya¡± She called me, I love when she calls me by the pet name she¡¯s chosen. ¡°I have a once in a lifetime opportunity for you.¡± She said lacing her fingers with mine. She was laying on my chest in the bed next to me as the morning was welcoming us.


    ¡°What¡¯s the opportunity?¡± I said kissing her on the top of her head.


    ¡°My company is doing this project for one of the idol groups, FnTsY and they need a choreographer. I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to get yourself out there.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve heard of them. I like their songs. But don¡¯t they have a choreographer already?¡±


    ¡°No, they usually collaborate with others so I figured this was a way to get your foot in the door.¡±


    ¡°Awesome, sure.¡±


    ¡°I figured you would agree, so I set up an appointment to meet with them at the studio next Saturday.¡± She said. My eyes grew big as I couldn¡¯t believe that Juniper had set up an audition with the group. If this goes well, I could finally leave my job and work full time as a choreographer or dance instructor. I couldn¡¯t believe she had done this for me.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± I said sitting up in bed.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She screamed. I grabbed her and held her so tight; she made this happen for me. I value her so much. I kissed her all over her face, I made sure to end on her lips. No one had done anything remotely close like that for me before.


    ¡°Oh my goodness. So next Saturday, wow. I have to prepare.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, I know you can. You¡¯ve been waiting for this.¡± She said snuggling against me again.


    ¡°Thank you Jagiya, I appreciate your confidence in me. It gives me strength when I think I don¡¯t have enough.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m here for you Aegiya.¡± She said looking at her bracelet and ring. ¡°Always.¡±  I was happy hearing those words from her mouth.


    ¡°Well then you will have to do something for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mwo?¡±


    ¡°I want you to go with me to my work¡¯s charity event on New Year¡¯s Eve.¡± I said, her eyes lit up like stars.


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to introduce you as my girlfriend.¡± I said caressing her face.


    ¡°Oh Min Jun!¡± She said and she planted a nice kiss on my cheek.  I wanted the world to know that she was my girlfriend and I was her boyfriend.  I wanted everyone to know that I am taken.


    ¡°Great, I will pick you up around 7 pm.¡±


    ¡°Awesome. That is going to be fun.¡±


    ¡°So for your work project, the group is amazing.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, I¡¯ve been working with them. They are really nice and very well known.¡±


    ¡°So how did you get me an audition?¡± I asked, sitting up and leaning back against the wall.


    ¡°Oh that, well, one of them recognized me from our video.¡± She said giggling.


    ¡°Seriously?  Wow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said, but here¡¯s the kicker, they follow you online. Apparently KpopPrincess has a lot of videos of you posted on their channel and a few guys have been following you. They even found videos of you when you were a trainee.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive. I didn¡¯t think people would even remember me.¡± I said smiling and thinking about the variety shows I had to participate in.


    ¡°Well, they do remember and they like you. However, of course the producer wants you to create a dance for the group and present it at the audition. Do you think you and Alex can come up with something by next Saturday?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. Thank you for believing in me Juniper. I truly appreciate that.¡± I said as she pulled on a pair of jogging pants and an oversized t-shirt.


    ¡°You are most welcome Min Jun. It was my pleasure to help you. I believe in you so much. I want you to reach your goal and if I can help, it¡¯s just a bonus.¡± She said, smiling at me. I loved that woman.  She was in my corner and she was happy to be there.


    ¡°I¡¯m excited to have a fancy night out with you. It¡¯s been a while since we went out to have fun..¡± I said thinking back to the incident in the club. We hadn¡¯t mentioned it since our talk, where we confessed our shortcomings.


    ¡°Yep. Listen, I¡¯m sorry, I kinda freaked out when you told me. I have to be honest to myself though, it didn¡¯t sit well with me.¡± She said. It hurt but she was being honest with her feelings. I scooted to the side of the bed and put on my pants along with my pullover.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to tell you because it makes me look really bad. And I¡¯m not that person.¡± I said pleading my case. I know she needed reassurance, I just needed to prove myself to do so.


    ¡°I know.¡± She said coming over to me. I held her hands, then planted a small kiss on both. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get hurt Min Jun.¡± She said.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± I said standing in front of her making a promise. ¡°We both have done some things we are not proud of, but this is our beginning. As long as we are honest with each other, we won¡¯t have any doubts. I want you with me always, I would never do anything to hurt you, I promise.¡± I had said those words. I promise; being a person that is true to my word, to say those words means I will do whatever I need to do to make sure this person is  always happy and to see that she doesn¡¯t get hurt.

 The Upper Hand

    Caleb


    New Year¡¯s Eve is finally here. I¡¯m about to have a ball here tonight. Samantha has been giving me some vibes that I wanna see where they may go. But I don¡¯t know, because she is still stuck on Min Jun. I¡¯m gonna get a chance to be with Juniper tonight, she just doesn¡¯t know it. I¡¯m gonna go along with Samantha¡¯s plan tonight, then I¡¯m gonna bounce out of this place because I will need to hide my face for a while. I was planning about leaving after I went to Juniper¡¯s place, but Samantha begged me to stay and help her at this charity event. Plus she added a nice amount of cash to go along with it, so I saw no reason to finish the job we started. Juniper will be mad at me, but hopefully she will understand how much I love her. I really do, and I know I fucked up. She is that chick that a guy like me gotta keep around and have kids with. She¡¯s not like all these other tricks, who are out here for money and some dick, she¡¯s the real one that you build a life together.


    Now thinking of Samantha, she¡¯s a woman with goals. Even though she¡¯s a bit psycho right now she just needs to let me hit just right, I¡¯ll make her forget all about him. She¡¯s curious, I could tell by the way she looks at me. She sees me naked when she looks at me, she just needs to give me the chance. As I was walking the hotel stairs, the door of a car parked out front opened, out popped Samantha looking good as fuck. She had her hair pulled up, showing her neck with a very delicate chain hanging low just between her perky twins. She wore a black body hugging floor length dress with teardrop earrings and a strappy pair of stilettos.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± I said as I approached her.


    ¡°Thank you, You look fucking good yourself.¡± She said, stepping back to take a good look. I did my turn so she could see my entire outfit. It was a nice tux she had sent over for me to wear. I didn¡¯t have a reason to have a tux therefore if she wanted me to go, she needed to supply a brotha with one.


    ¡°Thank you baby.¡± We entered the car and we were off to the event.


    Samantha and I walked around the great hall the event was being held in, looking at silent auction items before we found our seats. We saw Juniper and Min Jun hanging with their friends, laughing and enjoying the festivities. It was Samantha¡¯s idea to try to get them separated for the New Year¡¯s Countdown. Normally, couples will kiss at the ring of the New Year, which could symbolize the new beginning. Samantha didn¡¯t want Min Jun to kiss Juniper for the New Year. The girl was insane, but I was just going along with the flow.


    Min Jun


    The event was in full swing as it ticked closer to midnight. Everyone was enjoying themselves, we were hanging out with the usual group. I was happy Juniper was able to see Se-ra because Taehyung invited her to the event. Juniper looked like a goddess. She had her hair in a low ponytail with her hair pulled back and a small part in the front. She looked so beautiful. She wore long dangle earrings and a winter white floor length dress, with the bracelet and ring I gave her to finish off her outfit. I had a nice black tux with the pants stopping just above my ankles. We looked as if we stepped out of a magazine. I wore my necklace proudly along with my ring. I held Juniper¡¯s hand almost the entire time, except when we would go to the restroom or if we needed a drink.


    ¡°This is amazing Min Jun. Thank you for bringing me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Anything for you.¡± I said, tipping her head up, giving her a quick kiss.


    ¡°Ok you two.¡± Jin said as he walked up with Mindi. She looked worried and a bit out of sorts.


    ¡°Are you feeling okay Mindi?¡± I asked. She looked like she was really nervous.


    ¡°Yeah, I just have a thing about being around a lot of people.¡± She said, fanning herself.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± She said looking at Jin who looked a little worried.


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t we get to our table so she can sit.¡± Juniper said. We all walked looking around and found our table.


    Around 11:15 pm, I went over to the bar to get another drink for Juniper. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to those who were standing at the bar, I was on a mission to get my drink and get back to Juniper. As I was waiting for my drink, a familiar voice graced my ears, I turned to my right and it was Samantha.


    ¡°Hello Min Jun.¡± She said as she was sitting at the bar with her drink in hand.


    ¡°Samantha. Why are you here? Why do you always pop up now?¡± I drilled.


    ¡°Damn Min Jun, I¡¯m not here because you are here. I¡¯m here for charity. You know I¡¯ve always participated in charity events.¡± She quipped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that you keep popping up and doing more than is needed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know I had the wrong approach. I should have asked directly, forgive me.¡± She said. She looked sincere, but this is Samantha, she knew what I would fall for.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it before Samantha and every time I hear it, something else happens. Why are you trying to break up my relationship?¡± I ask outright.


    ¡°I want to be with you Min Jun, we belong together. We have a past, what does she have with you?¡± She snapped. The bartender placed my drinks on the bar.


    ¡°She has my heart.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Does she really? You know, you said that to me before Min Jun.¡± She said getting closer to me. She placed her hands around my neck and laid her body close to mine.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I said slowly, pulling her arms down.


    ¡°Min Jun, we belong together. You know this.¡± She said. I looked at her and she was serious. I didn¡¯t expect her to go this way of trying to get with me. I looked around to see if I could see Juniper; she was looking at her phone as if she was replying to a text message.


    ¡°Is all this because I didn¡¯t help you with your Youtube channel?¡± I turned around to Samantha and she turned towards me looking suspiciously.


    ¡°Well, I would have loved it if you helped me with it. It would have blown up if you would have allowed me to access exclusive videos. I think this is a combination of a few things to be honest.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I care for you Min Jun and we work well together. We have history, you know what I love and I know what you need.¡± She said, looking at me.


    ¡°Samantha, there is no us. Not anymore. That left when you left me. My heart belongs to someone else.¡± I said, picking up the drinks on the bar behind her. She looked pissed off as I walked away back to the table sipping one of the drinks.


    Juniper


    While I was waiting for Min Jun to return from the bar, my phone started vibrating on the table. Everyone had left the dance floor and left me waiting for Min Jun to return. I pulled up my phone and it¡¯s a text message from Caleb.


    [Caleb] I hope you get everything that you deserve.


    [Juniper] Thank you. Why are you telling me this?


    [Caleb] I¡¯m leaving tonight. I¡¯m done here. I would like to see you if I can, one last time, for me to say I¡¯m sorry to you properly.


    [Juniper] You¡¯re leaving for real?


    [Caleb] Yes, after this event. I¡¯ll probably hit a few clubs after this but I¡¯m flying out very early, so no reason to sleep.


    [Juniper] You¡¯re here at the event?


    [Caleb] Yes, so is Samantha, so watch out.


    [Juniper] Ok


    [Caleb] So will you meet with me?


    [Juniper] Ok.


    [Caleb] I¡¯ll call when I¡¯m close.


    He was leaving, that is a relief! I could finally breathe, he finally got the hint, or so I hope. I didn¡¯t have to worry about Caleb, therefore I could focus on getting Samantha out of our lives. She''s been a pimple on my ass for a long time and now it¡¯s time to pop it. Caleb told me that she was at the event, which means she¡¯s looking for Min Jun. I looked around the floor and I saw Min Jun coming back with our drinks, sipping on one.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± He said as he placed a drink on the table in front of me.


    ¡°Thank You.¡± I took a sip and it was strong yet good, it tasted like melon. I drank more and it was just as delicious. It was getting closer to the time of the countdown and no one was back at the table.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Min Jun asked, looking around.


    ¡°Last time I saw them, they were dancing.¡± I said taking another sip. Min Jun had downed his drink and he was still looking around.


    ¡°Ah, I see Jin and Mindi. Let me go get them, tell Se-ra and Taehyung to wait at the table when they return, I want to make a New Year¡¯s toast.¡± Min Jun said walking to get Jin and Mindi.


    As he left the table, my phone rang again, it was Caleb. He wanted me to meet him at the door, he was leaving before the countdown. I looked around and left to meet Caleb and close the chapter on that part of my past. The New Year was going to bring new and amazing things in my life.


    Min Jun


    As I walked over to the dance floor, I saw Mindi walk off the floor towards the restrooms. I eyed Jin and joined him.


    ¡°Hey Jin.¡± I yelled for him to look my way. He was dancing and looked up. He waved when he saw me and he turned to look for Mindi. She was nowhere to be found. Jin danced over to me.


    ¡°Hey Min Jun, Happy New year!¡± He said excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go back to the table, I want to make a toast.¡±


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but go back to the table, I¡¯ll look on the other side of the room. ¡° I said and Jin started back to the table.


    As I walked, things started getting a bit fuzzy, things were feeling weird. I felt as if I was going in slow motion and the world was moving every time I took a step.The drink may have been a bit too strong. My head was feeling like I was spinning. It was 5 minutes before Midnight, I had to get back to Juniper for our New Year¡¯s kiss. I closed my eyes to regain my balance. This was way more than a drink, this didn¡¯t feel like I was drunk. I felt like I didn¡¯t have any control. Then I heard a familiar voice, it was like music to my ears.


    ¡°Hey Min Jun, you look like you¡¯ve had a bit too much.¡± She said.


    ¡°Yes I have. Is this Juniper? Something¡¯s wrong Juniper, I¡¯m not feeling so good right now.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re not feeling good, let¡¯s go sit down so you can feel better.¡± She said taking my hand.


    Everything was looking so weird to me, like a Picasso painting. My head was spinning and I was trying my best to focus, but it wasn¡¯t working. I just let her guide me because each time I opened my eyes, it was as if I had vertigo. As I walked with her, it seemed as if we were outside the hall in the lobby area. She found me a seat, which I needed so much. She wiped sweat from my brow as I tried to cool down. She caressed my face and it felt so good. My love was taking care of me. I was so happy to have her. I heard the countdown and everyone counting, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year! Everyone cheered. She held my face and planted a nice, wet kiss on my lips. It was a bit strange as she bit and sucked my lip, something she had never done before. She kissed me hard as her tongue searched my mouth. I started feeling dirty for some reason as if something wasn¡¯t right. I had to force myself to gain control as she was still kissing me. Then all of a sudden I hear Jin¡¯s voice in the background.


    ¡°No! You Bitch!¡± Jin said as he ran down the hallway; he pulled me away from her as I tried to focus, it wasn¡¯t Juniper. It was Samantha I kissed for New Years.


    Juniper


    I stood at the entrance waiting for Caleb, then I saw him outside smoking a cigarette. I go outside to chat quickly with him, saying goodbye for the last time.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said approaching him.


    ¡°Hi.¡± He said blowing out the smoke.


    ¡°You look good. You look damn good.¡± He said it made me blush. He always knew how to make me smile.


    ¡°Thank you. You look good too.¡± I said.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, I never meant for it to get like this. Not like this.¡± He said. I was curious about what he was saying.


    ¡°What do you mean, aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± I asked and suddenly felt a bit of center.


    ¡°Yeah I am, I just have one more thing to do then I¡¯m out.¡± He answered. It was getting late and I needed to get back in before the countdown but the world started spinning. What was in that drink? It was stronger than I thought. It seemed as though my eyes were spinning and I was trying to focus on one steady object, but it wasn¡¯t worth it.


    ¡°Well have fun tonight, don¡¯t drink too much or you will miss your flight.¡± I said, holding my head as the world started turning.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll hit a few places and then call it an early night.¡± He said.


    ¡°So what is this one more thing, what do you have to do?¡± I asked, trying to hold myself up. Caleb grabbed me before I lost balance. That drink was a lot stronger than what I thought. I wonder how Min Jun is feeling.


    ¡°This.¡± Caleb said as he kissed me. I didn¡¯t want to kiss him and I definitely didn¡¯t want Min Jun to see me kiss him. I pushed him off of me and tried to run back towards the banquet hall.


    ¡°Wait Juniper!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we need to talk about Caleb. Have a nice life.¡± I said turning towards the building, which looked like a building encased inside a glass box, so you could see the hallways that ran alongside the different event rooms. I focused just in time on the building to see Min Jun and Samantha sitting and kissing in the hallway near the banquet hall. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was seeing correctly, my head was buzzing and I didn¡¯t understand what the fuck was going on. This was information overload but I knew I saw Min Jun and Samantha kissing. I was devastated. My heart dropped and everything went black.

 The Lies Have It - (Parts 2-5)

    Samantha (Part 2)


    ¡°No, You Bitch!¡± Jin came around the corner running towards us as Min Jun and I sat on the bench. He pulled Min Jun away from me and had him stand up.


    ¡°What is going on? Who?¡± Min Jun tried to say, he couldn¡¯t get his words together. I may have placed too much in his drink.


    ¡°Min Jun, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you kissing Samantha?¡± He shouted.


    ¡°What?¡± He said he could hardly keep his eyes open. ¡°No, not Samantha. I don¡¯t love her.¡±


    ¡°And I love you Min Jun.¡±


    ¡°You Bitch, how could you? Why do you always come back and ruin him? Why can¡¯t you just leave him alone, you¡¯re nothing but an attention whore! Go get a life!¡± He yelled at me.


    ¡°How can you speak to me this way? How can you say that he didn¡¯t kiss me?¡± I screamed.


    ¡°I can call you much better than that!¡± He yelled as others started coming out from the hall. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want you anymore. He is with Juniper, and I won¡¯t let you mess that up for him.¡± Jin said. Another coworker took hold of Min Jun and wrapped his arm around his waist to hold him up.


    ¡°Not Samantha.¡± Min Jun said and passed out. As everyone was paying attention to him, I slipped away, running into the next banquet room and then slipping out a side door.


    When I reached my car, I received a text from Caleb, he had Juniper and he was on to phase 2 of my plan. Shortly after I got to my car, I received the videos from my spy inside. She sent me a picture and video of Juniper kissing Caleb outside as well as a video of me kissing Min Jun in the hallway. That was enough to get the ball rolling. If this doesn¡¯t get my ratings up, I don¡¯t know what will. I will post these to my channel and it will ruin Juniper and Min Jun¡¯s relationship. I¡¯ll be there to help him make a comeback and he¡¯ll be happy again. I also got a random text from my spy, she said she had had enough and that she wasn¡¯t going to do anything else for me. For some reason she wanted to grow a backbone, she doesn¡¯t know exactly who she is messing with. I¡¯ve had to deal with her all my life, I¡¯ve never liked her, especially since I found out we were related.


    I sent the video of Juniper kissing Caleb along with a little message. [Here is your loving girlfriend, with her long time boyfriend. Are you sure she is the one for you?] I figured that would get him upset, if he has any feelings for her. He¡¯s not the one to forgive so quickly. He withdraws himself, disappears and gives up. I was driving when I received the pictures of Juniper in some very amazing poses. Let¡¯s see if you like to seeing her with not just another guy, but a guy she used to fuck before you, Min Jun! Those will be sent when I get home.


    Min Jun (Part 3)


    Shit has gone down the drain. I¡¯m done. I can¡¯t do this anymore. I don¡¯t want to feel this way, but I don¡¯t know what else to think. I woke up at Jin¡¯s place with one hell of a headache. My phone was buzzing with notifications; I needed to find out what time it was; I glanced at the time, it was the afternoon. Jin had come in shortly after I opened my phone to a bunch of messages, videos and pictures of Juniper with Caleb. My heart sank. How the fuck did this happen? I saw her texting earlier but it couldn¡¯t have been with Caleb. Did they have sex? I felt sick to my stomach.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up, finally. I was worried for a minute.¡± Jin said.


    ¡°What the fuck happened dude?¡± I asked, opening all of the messages, there were so many from Samantha. Pictures of Juniper with this motherfucker. She didn¡¯t have any clothes on accept for a thong. ¡°What the fuck is happening dude?¡± I yelled. Jin came over and grabbed the phone from my hands. He looked at the phone and covered his mouth.


    ¡°Dude, okay, wow.¡± He turned the phone to sleep mode. ¡°Listen, some crazy shit happened last night right before midnight. I found you kissing Samantha in the hallway.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± I stood up. ¡°No, no, no, no, No! No!¡± The more I said ¡®no¡¯ the more angry I got. What the fuck? Why? ¡°Why in the fuck would I kiss Samantha? Samantha¡¯s desperate she¡¯ll do anything.¡± I screamed. ¡°Look at this. She¡¯s with Caleb. Why would she be with him? Did she fuck him?¡± I said pointing to the phone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but didn¡¯t you say she found you with Samantha before? You think she saw you with Samantha?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± I said falling back onto the bed. ¡°I also found her with him.¡± Jin¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Are you fucking serious? What the fuck is wrong with you two?¡± Jin said, shaking his head. I didn¡¯t have a fucking clue. What was wrong with us?


    ¡°I told her that I cheated with Samantha a long time ago.¡± I said covering my face with my hands.


    ¡°You did what! Why would you do that?¡± Jin screamed.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I was stupid and I was still stuck on Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Ok and why would you tell Juniper?¡±


    ¡°We talked after the incident when she found me with Samantha and she was with Caleb. We were being honest with each other and the question of cheating came up. We both admitted we did but I told her I cheated with Samantha.¡± I said feeling stupid.


    ¡°Aish. Well I don¡¯t know what to say, maybe she did out of spite. Maybe she did after seeing you with Samantha tonight.¡± Jin replied. He could be right, but I didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    Every fucking time something good happens, terrible shit happens and tries to lessen the delightful feeling. This shit was not playing fair.


    I was feeling forces from places I never knew existed. It was like we were getting hit by both sides, and they weren¡¯t playing fair. Moments started playing in my memory like a movie in my head. I remember getting off the elevator and Caleb running around the corner to catch the elevator. When our eyes locked while he was on the elevator as the doors were closing, he stared at me as if he was not going away quietly. He looked satisfied, as if he had accomplished something. When I saw Juniper, she wasn¡¯t shaken up like she was the first time when he showed up at her house. She stayed over to my place and it was nice, but she wasn¡¯t even phased when I saw her. Chanel was over and neither of them seemed bothered. I didn¡¯t think anything of it, I was happy to see her. My thoughts were just going around in circles.


    Juniper (Part 4)


    I woke up undressed and in a room. My heart started beating faster as I tried to figure out where I was. My dress was draped over the chair, my bra was off but my thong was still on. I searched for my phone after I grabbed my bra. I found it on the dresser by the tv. There was a handwritten note under my phone.


    ¡°Hey Juniper, Sorry. Caleb.¡± This motherfucker! What the fuck did he do?! I look at my phone and its filled with messages, I open one and it was enough, I was pictures of me and Caleb laying in the bed as if we were sleeping right after sex. I was topless, laying on his chest. He was laying in the bed with the covers pulled up to just under his belly button, however you can see he is totally naked.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Why is this happening to me?! I fell back on the bed and looked at the other messages. There were others messages from Chanel and the group chat was going crazy, but no message from Min Jun. I figured he had gotten the pics. How am I to face him? I don¡¯t know what happened last night between me and Caleb, but I do remember him kissing Samantha. I looked around the place while my head was banging with what seemed to be the strongest headache I had ever had. I looked over to my dress and saw an open condom wrapper on the table. ¡°No, fuck!¡± Please Lord, tell me this wasn¡¯t true. I became sick in the stomach just thinking about it. Please tell me this isn¡¯t true. I started heaving, I needed to get out of here, but I didn¡¯t know where here was. My phone rang, it was Chanel!


    After she calmed me down, I found out where I was; I was at the Golden Seoul Hotel. I couldn¡¯t believe that this motherfucker took me to his hotel. Chanel came to pick me up and take me home. I didn¡¯t bother calling Min Jun, I didn¡¯t know what to say to him, mainly because of those pictures and the fact that I know I saw him kissing Samantha. Just as we pulled into my building¡¯s garage I received another text from an unknown number, it had a pic and a video. The pic was of Min Jun and Samantha talking in the hall together. Then video shows them walk out the hall, sit down on the bench and kiss. He was really kissing her. The video ends when I hear someone scream ¡® No!¡¯. That was enough for me. I really didn¡¯t know what to say.


    I showed Chanel the stuff on my phone as I went to take a shower. I just wanted to get this filth off of me. Caleb warned me, but I didn¡¯t think he would stoop this low. He came to me so sincere and I believed him. I didn¡¯t have a clue that Bitch was fucking crazy, and he would go along with her.


    ¡°That motherfucker. I knew he was up to something. Do you think you fucked him though?¡± Chanel asked I returned from the shower.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I found an open condom wrapper.¡± I said just feeling awful, if we did.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you did, we are talking about Caleb.¡± Chanel said, she was telling the truth, this was Caleb; one woman was never enough for him.


    Min Jun (Part 5)


    I hadn¡¯t spoken with Juniper in 2 days. I didn¡¯t know what to say to her, I had all of these feelings and nothing was making sense. Jin was trying to make sense of it as well while I was at work. I had to get it together because I also had the audition this weekend. Everything felt fucked. I started to send her a text message but I erased it before sending it.


    ¡°Dude, have you talked to Juniper?¡± Jin asked during lunch.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what to believe right now, there is so much shit going on.¡± I said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what to believe? You believe this shit really happened just by a coincidence? I¡¯m telling you this has Samantha all over it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was afraid of that to be honest. But she was naked with him.¡± I said and my heart sank.


    ¡°I know, but do you think she would do that to you? Really?¡± Jin asked. I started listening to him closely.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I turned to him.


    ¡°I think Samantha had a hand in this somehow. When you came to the dance floor, where were you coming from?¡±


    ¡°I was coming from the table with Juniper. I had just come back with drinks, oh shit.¡± My face froze and my mouth fell open.


    ¡°What?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°I saw Samantha at the bar. She came over to me when I was ordering. I was distracted because I was looking to find Juniper; I didn¡¯t want it to be another misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°You think she drugged you?¡±


    ¡°She may have, my back was turned, I didn¡¯t want Juniper to walk up on us; it might have looked suspicious.¡± I said and just then I heard small voice behind me.


    ¡°She did.¡± I turned around to see Mindi standing there.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jin asked looking at Mindi. She wouldn¡¯t raise her eyes to either one of us. She was crying. She bowed a bit, never raising her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said.


    ¡°Sorry for what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she would go this far.¡± She wailed as she stood shaking. ¡°I really didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t keep this going.¡± She said. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t like my anymore, I can¡¯t live like this anymore. I feel so bad and I care for you Jin but I can¡¯t do this anymore. I have to confess my wrong doing even if I lose the one I care for.¡± Mindi said. She sat down at the table and she had our full attention.


    ¡°You know Samantha?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± She replied. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± We were absolutely floored.

 The Truth Shall Set You Free

    Min Jun


    Work kept me so busy, it kept my mind off of Juniper.  I figured I would be able to talk to Juniper after the audition, as Saturday finally came. We had only exchanged a series of text messages throughout the week. I kept the texts short and sweet. I just wanted to be focused on what I needed to do for the audition. I know I should¡¯ve talked to Juniper, there is so much I need to say but I don¡¯t know if she would understand. However, Samantha was happy I told her about the audition. She said she would come and cheer me on. After my conversation with Jin and Mindi, I saw what had to be done and I needed to set things right. I really hope Juniper doesn¡¯t hate me after this. I really want to keep her in my life.


    Juniper


    I received a text from Min Jun asking if the audition was still going to happen. He didn¡¯t even ask about what happened on New Year¡¯s Eve. He hasn¡¯t spoken to me or according to  Taehyung by way of Se-ra, he hasn¡¯t been the same. They say he has been a little withdrawn and antisocial.  I needed to talk to him. We needed to get this out in the open. I wanted to talk to him and figure this out together. I don¡¯t know if I could keeping going on if this is how she plays. She wants him badly. I care for him, but this past week has told me that I wasn¡¯t ready for someone like her. She really wants Min Jun, even if it is just for the spotlight. She can have it, I have no problem staying in the background.  I decided to call him, I needed to hear his voice, I needed him to talk to me.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He answered. He sounded like he was being bothered.


    ¡°Hi Min Jun, it¡¯s Juniper.¡± I said, just in case he forgot what I sounded like.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s you.¡± He said coldly.


    ¡°You have a minute?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure, wassup?¡± He replied.


    ¡°Can we meet to talk about what happened?¡± I asked. I heard him sigh, he may not be ready to talk about it.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have time to talk for the next few days. Can we talk at the audition?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Sure. I answered.¡± I hesitated. There was one question I needed to ask him.


    ¡°Min Jun?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± He answered.


    ¡°Do you?¡± I asked. He knew exactly what I meant. He hesitated before answering. I¡¯m not really sure if he would answer.


    ¡°Do you?¡± He replied, turning it around on me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not answering my question.¡± I smiled. There was hope, or at least I was hoping it was.


    ¡°I know. You didn¡¯t answer mine either.¡± He stated. Was he avoiding the question?


    ¡°Ok. I see. Ok, well I¡¯ll let you go. Bye.¡± I hung up the phone. I didn¡¯t want him to answer the question anymore for fear that he may answer it differently than before. If this was meant to be, then it will happen; I will have no choice to live with whatever decision.


    He didn¡¯t give me anything to go on, he made no mention of the incident and it seems as though he¡¯s not trying to say anything about it. It worries me to be honest. I don¡¯t know what he is thinking and it makes me want to ask a bunch of questions.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Chanel, what the fuck am I to do?¡± I said while I was getting ready to head over to the studio.


    ¡°Talk to him. Tell him what¡¯s up, be real.¡± She said. I¡¯ve been trying to, but it¡¯s like he has closed off. Usually I would talk to him every day, but this has been damn near an entire week.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna just let this ride. I don¡¯t know what the fuck to do. I¡¯ve never been in this position before and I have nothing more to give. I¡¯m gonna lay all of my cards out on the table, I¡¯m tired of this shit.¡± I said. I was tired, I was ready to move forward. I¡¯ve been in the waiting pattern before and that shit is tiring.


    Chanel met me over at the studio around 5 pm. The place was packed with people, they were here to see the idol group as well as see the competition.  The entertainment company decided to make a series out of the auditions for the new choreographer, so it was a whole big production. I knew fans would show up, however I just didn¡¯t expect so many.  I saw a few fans with signage that had pictures of Min Jun and I. I smiled, I felt the love from people I didn¡¯t know. They saw the love between Min Jun and I. I know it¡¯s still there, but he would need to give me some kind of indication that he still wants me, because ¡®m so unsure and I don¡¯t see it now.


    I had made my way up to the studio and over to Sara and Alex. They were surprised at how big the production was, considering they were a small dance studio.  I guess I didn¡¯t explain how elaborate it would be, but I figured they would know since it was a major Kpop Idol group, so I assumed they would know it would be a bit over the top. Min Jun came over to me while I was talking to Sara.


    ¡°Hey you.¡± He said walking over to me. He had a look of uncertainty. I turned towards him and opened my arms.


    ¡°Good to see you.¡± I said as he walked into my arms. We held each other for a moment and then stepped away from each other.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be this huge. You didn¡¯t tell me that it would be this big of a deal.¡± He said looking nervous.


    ¡°I thought when I told you that it was for a popular group that you would understand how big it would be. I figured, you of all people would know that.¡± I said. He smiled and looked at me. That smile made me melt.


    ¡°You are correct. You got me there.¡± He said looking around. People were taking pics of everything that was going on. He took my hand and pulled me over to the side, away from the front lines. We found a dark corner in the hallway to have a quick chat.


    ¡°I know I haven¡¯t been the best person in the past few days. I¡¯ve been trying to figure things out.¡± Min Jun said, looking down caressing my hand.


    ¡°I get it. I have been thinking as well. I don¡¯t know how to say this but, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m built for this.¡± I said. I was throwing in the towel. I didn¡¯t want to have to compete to be with my boyfriend because his ex can¡¯t deal with the fact that they are no more.  His face dropped. He looked as if he had lost his best friend.


    ¡°What?¡± He said looking worried.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to compete for you. Look where it¡¯s gotten me. Everything looks bad and I have no words to explain that shit that you have seen. I don¡¯t know what happened that night and I know you¡¯ve seen the pictures. I don¡¯t want to have to look over my shoulders, always waiting for the other shoe to drop anymore.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to anymore. Can you trust me?  Please, don¡¯t make up your mind right now. There is something I need to tell you. I have something you will want to hear.¡± He begged.


    ¡°Trust is the part I¡¯m having a hard time with right now.¡±  I said. His face froze as if he was slapped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are not the only one.¡± He said, looking at me directly. I felt his stare, I felt his pain. He was hurt.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I asked. ¡°Why are you going through the motions?¡±


    ¡°You already know why Juniper, I don¡¯t have to tell you.  You already know the answer.¡± I did. I saw my glimmer of hope, no matter how small it was, it was there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later. The audition is about to start. Good luck.¡± I said. He walked over and planted a nice, deep kiss on my lips. It felt so damn good,  I felt my panties get suddenly wet between my thighs. It¡¯s shit like that that makes me want to rethink breaking up.

 Trust Shall Set You Free

    Min Jun


    I was happy to have Alex dance with me along with the guys from the group. I can¡¯t believe this day was finally here as I welcomed the group to the floor. It took a lot of long nights of practice to get this together. I hope the producer loves the dance we¡¯ve come up with. It goes along with their song, Player. It has a beat similar to Zone by JUNNY.  We were hitting our marks as the bass hit hard through the speakers. I love the way the bass feels when the music is loud; I can feel it resonate within me.  My body transported to another level as we were dancing in unison and hitting along with the beats, the crowd was going wild. Their song went along great with the dance and the idols were hitting their marks as if they had  worked with me for a long time to practice this. We pulled this shit together in a week! Along with the shit I had to deal with this week, this was a fucking amazing experience for me. When we finished the crowd went wild. I was so excited. Alex grabbed me screaming, it was awesome. The guys were going crazy, we totally owned the floor.  I saw Juniper and Chanel screaming in the corner, she was really pulling for me.  I¡¯ve put her through so much, I just wanted to rewrite my past. Just then as we were celebrating, I saw Samantha come through the crowd.  I looked over to Juniper, and her face had changed. She had seen Samantha.


    As the production company started packing up, the group was taking pictures with fans and doing their fan service.  I had spoken to the producer and was informed they would make their decision by Monday. I had put everything out there; I gave it my all. I hoped I would get the position as it would open so many doors for me. As some fans of the group had left, a few fans stayed behind. I could only imagine if these were the fans who were fascinated with Juniper and I. Juniper came over to me with a serious look on her face.


    ¡°Min Jun, what is she doing here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I asked her to come.¡± I said. She looked at me like I was totally crazy.


    ¡°Why? Do you know what she¡¯s done? Caleb told me some things about her.¡± She said. Samantha walked up next to me.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything, it seems that you have been the one doing a few things.¡± Samantha said. Juniper looked at me and looked at her.


    ¡°Why are you even talking to me? This has nothing to do with you.¡± Juniper said.


    ¡°Oh but it does. It has everything to do with her.¡± I said.  I reached out and took hold of Samantha¡¯s hand; Samantha smiled. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Samantha, I wouldn¡¯t have known how much she still wants me.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Juniper said as she stopped in her tracks. Her smile faded away as she started backing away but I grabbed her hand and laced my fingers with hers. Juniper looked so confused as did Samantha as I let her hands go.


    ¡°Why are you holding her hand Min Jun? You said we were going to reveal everything so she can leave you alone.¡± Samantha stated.


    ¡°Well, I lied Samantha. We will reveal everything, but it will be you who will finally leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She said lowering her voice and looking around.  Camera phones were on the entire situation. I knew for a fact that this was going live, on the KPopPrincess channel as Jin and Mindi came from the back office to the floor.  When Samantha saw Mindi, her face changed.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Samantha growled at Mindi. Mindi stopped but Jin held her hand and supported her.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Juniper asked.


    ¡°Well it seems as though Samantha has been busy trying to separate us. So much to the point she drugged us.¡± I said looking at Samantha.


    ¡°You did what?!¡± Juniper and Chanel said in unison.  I couldn¡¯t tell who was madder, Juniper or Chanel.


    ¡°What do you mean? I did nothing.¡± Samantha said, stepping back and standing her ground.


    ¡°You dropped something in my drinks on New Years. Tell me you didn¡¯t.¡± I said walking over to her. She inhaled me, this bitch was crazy.


    ¡°You need me. Look what I did for you.¡± She said, touching my face.  ¡°You were washed up. If you just worked with me, everything would have been fine.¡±


    ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t need you, I never needed you.  And what do you mean you didn¡¯t do anything? All you did was cause me trouble.¡± I stated.


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    ¡°I put you back in the spotlight. I posted you online so others would see your talent. I am the reason why you got the audition.¡± Samantha said confidently.


    ¡°Ha! Uhm no. That is not true,¡± Juniper spoke up. ¡°I got him the audition. You did nothing but play motherfucking games.¡±


    ¡°And how did you put me online Samantha? Through your channel that I didn¡¯t agree to?¡±


    ¡°Ask Mindi, she was the one who did it.¡± Samantha slyly spoke as she looked at Mindi with a deathly stare. Then she looked at Juniper and swayed her stance to the left, arms down with fist clenched.


    ¡°And, you Pretty Miss Bitch. How would you know how to please him? You don¡¯t know him like I know him. We have history. He¡¯ll be back, trust me, he¡¯s done it before.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know.¡± Juniper said. Samantha''s face looked shocked. She didn¡¯t know I had told Juniper how I cheated with her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, I know how to please him well. He won¡¯t be going back, trust me. Haven¡¯t you heard the phrase, ¡°Once you go Black, you never go back?!.¡± Juniper said. I giggled, Juniper made me smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a slut. Min Jun, how can you be with her? She slept with her ex-boyfriend! You saw the pictures.¡± She screamed, her world was crumbling right in front of her.


    ¡°Oh, I got your slut!¡± Juniper said as started taking off her earrings and putting her hair into a ponytail; she was heading for Samantha.


    ¡°No Samantha, you had it planned.¡± I stated as I stepped in front of Juniper to hold her back.  ¡°You paid Caleb to take those pictures while Juniper was passed out.¡± I said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t prove that. I did nothing with him. Caleb told me he wanted her back and he wanted to do anything to get her back.¡± Samantha replied.


    ¡°I can prove it.¡± Mindi stepped out into view holding up her phone with a recording playing loudly. You could hear Samantha tell Caleb to undress her and take pictures. Juniper¡¯s eyes were big and wide. I looked over at Chanel and she was amazed as well.


    ¡°You Bitch!¡± Samantha screamed at Mindi.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re the Bitch, Samantha!  I knew it would be just a matter of time before I would be able to face you with your own shit. You stupid Bitch, how can you expect me to be loyal to you when all you did to me all my life was make me think I wasn¡¯t worthy of anyone to love me. You never liked me and you always treated me as if I was beneath you, just because my father cheated with your mother. At least I¡¯m the legitimate one, you¡¯re just a fucking mistake. ¡° Mindi stated. Samantha was floored.


    ¡°Ooooo burn Bitch!¡± Chanel yelled from across the room. Juniper snickered and looked at Chanel. Juniper held up the ¡®thumbs up¡¯ sign.


    ¡°Min Jun, you can¡¯t believe her, she betrayed you.¡± Samantha said, pointing to Mindi.


    ¡°She did what she did because of you Samantha. You¡¯re toxic Samantha and you¡¯ve always been toxic. You literally drugged me to have me recorded kissing you. You drugged Juniper and disrespected her tremendously. You tried to make me believe a lie just so I can be with you.  Why would I want to be with you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Min Jun, You love me, that¡¯s why, you need me.¡± She said begging.


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t love you, that was a long time ago. And I definitely don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°You can still love me Min Jun, I love you. You can grow to love me again.¡± She said, sounding delusional.


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to be with you, Samantha, I have someone else, whom I love.¡± I said turning away from Samantha and looking at Juniper.


    I held her hands, her fingers laced with mine and looked directly at her. I smiled at her, looking deeply in her eyes. She had a messy ponytail, with hair hanging down on her forehead and the sides of her face. I caressed her face and softly touched her lips. She held me at the sides of my waist, grabbing and holding my shirt in her hands. I held her face in my hands, swimming in her caramel brown eyes. I wanted to cry out loud of how she utterly completes me.


    ¡°I love you Juniper.¡± I said those three words, finally. It was like a weight was lifted off of me. My eyes filled with tears as I realized how much I loved her. Tears began running down her eyes as she looked at me.


    ¡°I love you too, Min Jun.¡± She said it in return. I caressed her face, she looked so beautiful. I leaned down and kissed her deeply. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I held on to her tightly as she kissed me passionately.


    We totally became invisible to the few people still in the studio who saw, as well as recorded the entire incident as it played out. Chanel shouted her excitement and clapped as started others to do the same. Juniper stood beside me, basking in the spotlight with me.


    ¡°You need to bounce Bitch!¡± Chanel said sternly towards Samantha.


    Samantha was just blown, she knew she was defeated. She was devastated as she turned and left in a hurry. I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be hearing from her anymore. I looked at Juniper and she looked so happy.


    ¡°Saranghae.¡± I said as I planted a small kiss on her lips.


    ¡°Nado Saranghae.¡± She replied slowly, standing within my embrace.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I¡¯m also sorry for what she and Caleb did to you. I was upset because I thought you had had sex with Caleb.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I didn¡¯t? There was an open condom wrapper in the room?¡± She said.


    ¡°I found out it was from Caleb and Samantha, they had sex.¡± Her eyes grew big. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that. I promise you won¡¯t have to go through anything like this ever again. I love you.¡± I pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her.


    ¡°I love you too.¡± It felt so good to hear her say those words to me. I¡¯ve waited so long to hear those words come across her lips and it was amazing to hear.

 Destiny Prevails

    Juniper


    Everything happened the way it was supposed to I guess. Samantha finally disappeared and I fell in love with an amazing man. I looked at Min Jun across the room talking to Alex and the producer of the video. They are talking and laughing as if they have known each other for a lifetime. Sara came over to hang out with me and Chanel. Who would have thought Mindi would be the one to break this wide open? It was fucked up how Samantha used her and it¡¯s sad that she was so weak to allow Samantha to have that type of power over her. She did what she did, for her friends in the end.


    The studio had a party vibe going on with a few fans still hanging out after the group left. The music was playing and I was dancing with Chanel and Sara on the floor. The music was loud and everyone was enjoying themselves. We were celebrating love in general. True love always prevails. Min Jun pulled me over to the middle of the floor as the music was blaring. The lights dimmed and the spotlight was on us. I looked at him and he blushed; he turned his head away from me trying to keep a straight face but I teased him and he laughed harder. Music started playing softly and it was one of my favorite artists, Pink Sweat$. He was singing a song that I just loved, Real Thing featuring Tori Kelly.


    We started slow dancing and he softly started singing. I didn¡¯t want him to feel alone, so I joined in with him on Tori¡¯s part. His eyes shined bright as I sang with him. Others started joining us on the floor as we were all basking in this moment of our love. I had my hands around Min Jun¡¯s neck, running my fingers through the ends of his hair. He smiled again looking down. His shy moments made me smile, I love that about him. I catch myself staring at him, trying to memorize his facial features; he was just so damn sexy.


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    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what I did to be so lucky to have you.¡± I said blushing and looking away. He smiled and tipped my chin back towards him.


    ¡°You were just being you. That¡¯s what made me love you. Just you being you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who else to be.¡±


    ¡°I do know with you, I am complete. I¡¯ve waited for this, a long time. I had to wait until you came within reach. I prayed for you; I didn¡¯t know where you were, but I could feel you were out there for me somewhere.¡± Min Jun spoke softly and honestly. He held my hands in his and looked directly at me.


    ¡°I was on the other side of your sunrise, having my sunset.¡± I smiled. Min Jun leaned down and kissed me, his tongue dancing with mine. He held me tightly against him, lifting me just a bit off the ground. ¡°But you have me now and I¡¯m here to stay.¡± He gave me an Eskimo kiss as our noses touched gently.


    ¡°Do you?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°I do. Do you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do, most definitely.¡± He said and kissed me again. We had a way of talking to each other, using as little words as possible to express how we feel towards each other. We had finally found each other and we had no intentions of separating. This was the ending of an era and the beginning of another.

 Epilogue

    Juniper


    The weekend was over faster than Min Jun and I wanted, as we enjoyed our weekends together. After all of the events we attended in the past two weeks, we both deserved an extended rest. It turns out that Mindi confessed to Jin first before confessing to Min Jun. She wanted to let Jin know first because she wanted to be honest with him. She showed him everything apparently. She had copies of everything; pictures and videos, she also had secret recordings of all of the meetings between Samantha and Caleb . She even had a camera in the hotel room which recorded Caleb and Samantha fucking as well as the set up of Caleb taking pictures of me while passed out. Jin took her to Min Jun to confess. Min Jun said he was upset but he understood why she did it. He was glad that she brought the information to Jin instead of giving it all to Samantha, otherwise Samantha would have gotten away with it.


    Mindi felt bad about what Samantha was doing but she felt she was in way too deep  and she thought that we would be upset. I was upset a bit because she should have come clean sooner, but I do understand why she had to stay underground so she could get all of the info she needed to make Samantha really disappear. Also, the incident at the studio was fully shown live on Samantha¡¯s channel - KpopPrincess. All of her followers saw her get caught up in her actions, all for fame, that she never tried to get herself. She was always trying to ride someone else¡¯s spotlight instead of trying to find her own. Mindi really liked Jin and she didn¡¯t want to hurt his friends as she saw the turmoil that we were going through. I think the work day after the charity event really did it for her; Jin had told her Min Jun was not his regular self and he broke down in the restroom. She didn¡¯t want to be a part of it anymore, seeing her friends getting hurt, so she came clean.  Mindi said she would suffer the sacrifice of losing her newfound friends and the man she cared for, to make sure Samantha got exactly what she deserved.


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    The website is now run by Mindi and it is based on the studio and the instructors. Some of the instructors have been past trainees who have joined the staff and the studio is now becoming more popular than ever. She and Jin are dating now, and things are going strong. Chanel got the job to stay in Seoul and she was able to get an apartment in my building! I¡¯m happy she¡¯s able to be closer to me. She¡¯s been going out from time to time, but I also know that Jong-dae has a standing appointment on Fridays, however she thinks we don¡¯t know.


    Min Jun got the choreographer job and he was so happy. Min Jun put in his two weeks shortly after getting the green light, he said he wasn¡¯t looking back as this was his second chance. I was happy and proud that he landed it and we got a chance to work together. We worked on the project together for about a month and it was ready for idols when they debuted. The response was so good, I landed the job as Team Leader for my project, Reality. Things were finally coming together for us and there was no looking back. He was something special and I¡¯m glad he was in my life. My sunset was his sunrise; now we share the same day at the same time - together.