Ray POV:

Later that evening, Ray sat on the small couch in her apartment thinking about what Soobin had said. She wasn't really surprised to hear the BTS fans were fiercely protective of their idols. It was the same way with the GOT7 members. Ray had mentioned once on social media that she was a Jackson Wang fan and she was attacked for everything from her age (even though they're the same age) to her hair color (apparently it's not dark enough) and her nationality.

Ray had made a decision. She refused to end the friendship that her and Hobi were in the process of building. She would definitely be discreet, but over the last 10 days, she had gotten to know Hobi as a person. Ray was caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see her phone lighting up with messages. She had it on silent at the restaurant and forgot to turn the ringer back on. She had a couple messages from Hobi and a couple from some unknown numbers. She checked the ones from Hobi first.

Hobi:

Just a heads up

Jiminie and Jungkookie were serious about getting your number

Really serious

They stole my phone and took it L

8:29 PM

Did you get home from work safe?

10:28 PM

Text me when you get home

11:09 PM

Ray:

I'm home safe mom

11:21 PM

Hobi:

Why so late?

11:22 PM

Ray:

I got home at the usual time

Just forgot to turn my phone on

11:23 PM

Hobi:

Oh

I was worried about you

11:24 PM

Ray:

No worries

I'm just fine

Go to sleep

11:26 PM

Hobi:

Sweet dreams

11:28 PM

Ray:

Same to you Hobi

11:29 PM

Ray checked the other messages next. The first ones were from JK and made her laugh.

Unknown Number:

Hi Noona!

It's JK

I stole Hobi hyung's phone to get your number

Jimin hyung helped me

So I had to share it with him

But I didn't want to

9:14 PM

The second one didn't identify himself, but Ray rolled her eyes when she read it, immediately knowing whom it was.

Unknown Number:

Hey babe

Guess who?

9:23 PM

Although she wasn't a fan, Ray had to admit she was a bit excited at the chance to get to know the other two guys. They seemed to be pretty funny, even though Jimin's obvious flirting was borderline cringy. Ray figured he flirted with her since she was a safe target; he knew he would not get a real response from her. Ray decided to mess with him a bit and shake him up a little.

The next morning Ray woke up to several text messages from the guys. She read and replied to Hobi's first.

Hobi:

Good morning Ray

Hope you have a good day

I might not text much

Busy schedule today

8:10 AM

Ray:

Good morning Hobi

Don't worry

You don't have to explain yourself to me

9:24 AM

Hobi:

I just didn't want you to think I forgot about you

9:26 AM

Ray:

How could you?

I'm unforgettable

9:28 AM

Hobi:

True true

9:29 AM

-----

JK:

Good morning noona!

7:32 AM

Ray:

Good morning JK

9:31 AM

-----

Jiminie:

Hey babe

Did you guess?

7:14 AM

Ray:

Sorry

I don't know who this is

I think you have the wrong number

9:33 AM

Jiminie:

Hmmm

I'm very handsome

And I think you have a crush on me

9:35 AM

Ray:

Jackson Wang?

Is that you?

9:37 AM

Jiminie:

Ouch babe!

That kinda hurt

Wait

Do you really have a crush on Jackson?

9:38 AM

Ray:

I guess you'll never know

9:39 AM

Jiminie:

Not fair

By the way, it's Jimin

9:40 AM

Ray:

I knew who you were

You're the only one to call me babe

9:42 AM

Jiminie:

Would you prefer baby?

Or princess?

Or darling?

9:43 AM

Ray:

Eww cringy

They just got worse as you went along

Aren't you supposed to be practicing?

9:45 AM

Jiminie:

I'm hiding in the bathroom to talk to you

9:46 AM

Ray:

Weird

Get to work

I'm done talking to you

Have a good day Jiminie

9:47 AM

Jiminie:

No don't leave

9:48 AM

Please?

9:49 AM

Fine. They'll come look for me anyway

9:51 AM

Ray laughed at the interaction with Jimin. He really was pretty funny. He made her laugh with his silly banter. Ray turned the ringer off on her phone and started up her computer. She still had to choose a building or structure for the analysis project. She was leaning more towards the Banpo Bridge. The photos she saw fascinated her.

Ray didn't have to start until after 4, so she took a quick shower, got dressed and got ready to leave the apartment. She took a taxi to the bridge, armed with her camera and notebook for research. She sat on a bench overlooking the Han River and was stunned by the view.

The bridge was a beautiful structure, spanning the river. It had a sleek design and was very modern looking but with a classic feel. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Ray took several pictures with her phone and her regular camera. She wrote some observations down in the small notebook she had with her then stuck the notebook and camera into her backpack.

Ray took a taxi back to the apartment then sat down at her computer to record some of the observations she had made. She would need to go again and do a more thorough analysis, but for now, she figured she made a great start.

Ray looked at the clock and realized it was time to get ready for work. She would have to make plans to visit the bridge again soon.

BTS POV:

Hoseok tried to push down the feeling of jealousy in his chest. That morning, Jimin had disappeared to the bathroom for quite a while. When he returned, he had a smile on his face. When Jin questioned him, Jimin just shrugged and said he got caught up talking to someone.

Hoseok knew he was referring to Ray. He wasn't sure what Jimin's plans were and it made him uneasy. Hoseok wasn't worried about Jungkook; the boy was still young and had very little experiences with girls. Ray made him feel at ease and it would give him a chance to build a friendship with a girl. Jimin on the other hand was an enormous flirt. Most of the time it was harmless, but Hoseok still felt uneasy when it came to Ray. He had figured out over the last several days that he was starting to like her. It excited him, but also terrified him. He knew she would be leaving Korea in just about 8 months, but for now he would take advantage of the time he had with her.

Although Ray said she had watched the "Idol" music video, she had never really seen Hoseok's dancing. Hoseok wanted to invite her to the studio to watch a dance practice, but wasn't sure how the rest of the members or the managers would react. He decided to approach it with Joon first then bring it up to Manager Sejin.

That evening, Hoseok came back to the dorm on cloud nine. He had gotten permission from Sejin to invite Ray to a dance practice. He had to take every precaution with her to make sure any fans or paparazzi didn't see her. After checking the time, Hoseok sent her a quick message to get her opinion. She should be getting off work in the next hour.

Hobi:

Hey Ray

Would you like to come to our dance practice tomorrow at 10:00?

I would really like you to be there

9:29 PM

Hoseok took a quick shower, then laid down in his bed to wait for Ray to respond. He got caught up reading something on the Internet, when the notification popped up.

Ray:

Hi Hobi

Yeah I can come

10:36 PM

Hobi:

Are you serious?

10:37 PM

Ray:

Yeah I'm serious

Are you sure it's okay?

10:39 PM

Hobi:

Yes of course

I cleared it with the managers

And Namjoon

10:41 PM

Ray:

Okay sounds fun

10:43 PM

They chatted for a bit longer. Hoseok explained that he would send a car for her at 9:40 AM. It would bring her to the Big Hit building and there would be a manager there to bring her up to their floor. He would meet her when she got off the elevator. He told her to bring a mask and a pair of sunglasses. It would help keep her identify a secret.

Hoseok could tell she was a little overwhelmed by all the cloak and dagger, but she understood it was a necessity. Since he was an idol, keeping all relationships secret, even platonic ones, was vital.