✎⋆。𖦹 LIPSTICK + kim seokjin
jin’s been hiding something big—something personal, soft, and totally unexpected. hoseok and jungkook turn into accidental detectives as they follow a trail of subtle clues. the truth is closer than ever… and they’re not ready for it.
warnings : idol! jin x mangers niece! reader, this is mostly in hobi & jk's pov, kissing, the reader has long enough hair to put up... sorry to my bob people, swearing, invasion of privacy(?) LOL, longggg ficccc
a/n : idk if i like this one but i hope y'all do!!! LOL... and this is the longest one ive ever written sooo
the other 6 members already knew that the oldest member of bangtan was pretty to himself. he was outgoing, funny and nice but they didn’t know much about his outside friends… or life.
but what they didn’t expect was for him to hide a secret girlfriend from them!
it was supposed to be a quick trip. just snacks and something sweet jin had been craving all week. he insisted on coming with you, claiming he needed a break from the dorm chaos. you didn’t argue, anytime alone with him felt rare and golden.
the hoodie he wore was pulled low, mask snug over his face, but you could still see the way his eyes softened when you teased him about being clingy. his arm never left your shoulders, not even when you leaned down to grab something from the lower shelf.
“you’re gonna start a rumor like this,” you whispered, nudging him playfully. “let them talk,” he murmured, then leaned in closer. “you’re mine.”
you laughed softly, just for him and he grinned like he’d just won something. around the corner, out of sight, hoseok froze with a box of lucky charms halfway to his basket.
he didn’t mean to eavesdrop—okay, maybe he did a little but it was jin. jin, of all people, looking suspiciously boyfriendy with a girl whose face he couldn’t see. he couldn’t even catch her voice clearly, just the sound of laughter and that familiar teasing tone that jin usually reserved for the guys.
hoseok ducked back, peeking again, squinting to get a better look. still nothing. just the back of a girl. long sleeves, uggs, hair pulled up with a grey colored hair tye. jin’s arm around her shoulders like it belonged there.
his mouth dropped open, “no way.”
this was big. like jin big. and he was absolutely telling the others.
yoongi: if this is about cereal again
hobi: like. a girl girl. pretty. soft looking. LAUGHING AT HIS JOKES
joon: okay but that doesn’t mean anything
hobi: HIS ARM WAS AROUND HER
back at your apartment, you were curled up on the couch beside jin, phone tucked under your thigh just in case it buzzed. he had no idea what had just been unleashed in the group chat. his focus was on feeding you a strawberry, pretending like he wasn’t proud of himself when you took a bite.
meanwhile, hoseok paced the living room upstairs, practically dragging jungkook and taehyung behind him. “okay, listen— he had his arm around her. that’s not just friendly. that’s ‘we’re definitely dating and we share fries’ energy.”
“and you didn’t see her face?” jungkook asked, pulling out his phone. “could’ve been a staff member.”
“nope. i only saw the back of her. but jin was all smiley. like smiley smiley.” taehyung gasped, “wait. what if it’s that new intern? the one from the music department?”
“no way, that girl has really short hair,” hoseok said, shaking his head. “this girl had her hair pulled up and had on the tan uggs.”
jungkook typed something into his notes, “okay. so we’re looking for someone with hair long enough to put up, tan uggs, soft laugh, short enough for him to wrap his arm around comfortably—”
“you guys are insane,” yoongi called from his room. “INSANE OR RIGHT?” taehyung yelled back.
“both,” yoongi muttered, closing his door.
jungkook and hoseok had to find out who you were.
it was a lazy afternoon, the kind of day when the dorm felt quieter than usual. the members were all doing their own thing, except for hoseok and jungkook, who had taken it upon themselves to investigate jin’s mysterious “girlfriend.”
they’d been watching him closely, catching little details that seemed off. but today, they were getting more… invasive.
it started with jin’s car.
“i bet he keeps something there,” hoseok said, glancing over at jungkook as they stood by the parked vehicle. “think about it. he’s always so careful, so there’s gotta be a hint in here somewhere.”
jungkook shrugged, "let’s look.”
rhey both climbed into the back seat, knowing the coast was clear since jin had left to grab lunch with the others. jungkook opened the glove compartment first, half-expecting to find something incriminating. Instead, it was filled with the usual—maps, receipts, and old concert tickets.
“nothing here,” he said, scanning the rest of the compartment.
but then hoseok spotted something behind the passenger seat—a small, neatly folded grey hoodie, way too soft to be something jin would wear. he grabbed it, his eyes narrowing.
“this is definitely not his.” jungkook raised an eyebrow. “that’s… not his style at all. maybe it’s from the girl?”
hoseok held it up. “i bet it is. it’s way too cute for him. and it’s got that… scent.” he sniffed it dramatically. “yeah, this is definitely hers.”
a few days later, the group had gone to the studio to record, but hoseok and jungkook stayed behind, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. the last few days had been filled with jin’s weirdly private behavior, and they were so close to cracking the case.
hoseok motioned to jungkook as they snuck into jin’s room.
“alright, we’ve checked the car, the apartment… now it’s time to check his phone.” jungkook looked a little uneasy. “isn’t that a little—”
“not if we’re careful.” hoseok grinned, sliding onto jin’s bed and grabbing the phone off the nightstand when it buzzed. “see? he’s being all secretive and leaves it unlocked. perfect.”
jungkook hesitated, but the curiosity was too much. “alright, fine. but we better not get caught.”
they opened the phone, quickly scanning through his messages. most of them were from the guys, but there were a few from a contact they didn’t recognize. the name was simply “(name),” and there were an overwhelming amount of heart emojis in each conversation.
hoseok’s eyebrows shot up. “(name)? who the heck is that?” jungkook frowned. “could be her name… but why does it feel like he’s trying so hard to hide this?”
they scroll through the texts, giggling over a particularly sweet message where jin said, “i can’t wait to see you later. i miss your laugh.”
“well, that’s adorable,” jungkook said, a grin forming.
hoseok’s face lit up as he clicked on the photo gallery, and they scrolled through pictures of jin with various members, but nothing to indicate who (name) was—until they reached the very last photo.
it was a picture of jin and a girl, back to the camera, standing in front of a cafe with their arms around each other, both laughing.
“wait,” hoseok squinted. “is that… her?”
jungkook leaned closer, eyes widening. the girl had the exact hair, a white sweater, and from the back, it looked almost like… “no way. that’s her, isn’t it?”
just as they were about to zoom in on the photo, the door clicked open. jin’s voice echoed from the hallway. “hey, i left my—”
both of them jumped, scrambling to put the phone back down and pretend like nothing had happened.
jungkook flashed a nervous smile. “uh, we were just—uh—checking the room for, uh, a game controller?”
hoseok quickly grabbed a random magazine off the desk. “yeah, yeah! totally not snooping or anything.”
jin walked in with an unreadable look, casually shrugging off his jacket. “i don’t know why you two are acting so suspicious, but sure, okay.”
they both tried to act casual, but the moment jin left the room again, hoseok and jungkook exchanged looks. “well, we know it’s (name) now,” jungkook muttered, flopping onto the bed. “but who is she? what does she do?”
hoseok scratched his head, “i don’t know, but i have a feeling we’re gonna find out soon enough.” they exchanged a knowing look. jin wasn’t fooling anyone anymore.
jin was getting ready for a date with you, he glances at his watch constantly. hoseok and jungkook narrowed their eyes at him.
jin yelled from upstairs, “hey! can one of you grab my wallet! it’s in the kitchen,” without thinking they both jumped up. “got it!” they both say in sync.
hoseok grabbed the wallet, a photo slipping out as they walked back. jungkook picked it up, gasping softly. rhe photo wasn’t a polaroid or anything fancy—just a simple picture of a girl, laughing in the sun, her hair framing her face perfectly. she had that soft, gentle look.
jungkook stared at the photo, his eyes widening in realization. “that’s her. this is her. this is the girl.”
for a moment, neither of them said anything. they just stared at the picture in silence, trying to put the pieces together. it was all coming to a head—jin had been hiding you this entire time. they had a face to match the laughter they’d heard over the past few days. and it was real. this wasn’t some rumor. this was jin’s girlfriend.
just as they were about to snap out of their daze, they heard jin’s voice from the hallway, “hey, did you guys—?”
without thinking, jungkook stuffed the wallet back into the bag and slammed it shut. “nothing! we were just… uh, admiring your wallet, hyung!” hoseok said with an overly bright grin, obviously too guilty for it to be believable.
jin raised an eyebrow as he walked into the room, looking from one to the other. “what’d you find?”
jungkook was still a little breathless, trying to cover it up. “oh, nothing. just, uh, saw a picture of you in there.”
jin’s lips twitched upward in a smile, but he didn’t seem to notice their subtle panic. “oh, that’s just a picture of… someone special.” he shrugged nonchalantly. “you know, the usual.”
“uh-huh, sure, hyung,” hoseok said, trying to play it cool. “the usual.”
as jin left the room again, the door closing quietly behind him, the tension lingered in the air. jungkook and hoseok exchanged looks—both of them still processing what they’d just seen.
the guys were rehearsing in the dance studio, and everything was going smoothly until jin walked in.
hoseok was in the middle of practicing some new footwork when he saw jin enter through the door. his eyes narrowed immediately. something was off.
jon was usually a bit casual after practice, but today, he was… different. his hair was messier than usual, like he’d been running his hands through it in a hurry. and there, on the side of his neck, was a red lipstick stain. not just one—it looked like there were a few, scattered like perfectly placed kiss marks.
on his bicep, was another faint lipstick stain. and from the way he was trying to subtly adjust his jacket, it was clear he didn’t realize just how obvious it was.
hoseok’s eyes practically popped out of his head. “is that…?” he whispered under his breath. jungkook, who was tying his shoe nearby, froze and followed hoseok’s gaze. his eyes widened. “no way.”
jin was totally oblivious as he walked to the center of the studio, tossing his gym bag onto the bench.
“what’s up?” he asked casually, like nothing was wrong, rubbing his neck absently, clearly uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. “why’s everyone staring?”
hoseok was the first to break the silence, a smirk spreading across his face. “hyung… what’s with the, uh, marks?”
jin blinked and instinctively raised a hand to his neck, realizing immediately what hoseok was referring to. he quickly straightened up, trying to act normal, but the stain was already glaringly obvious.
“ah,” he said with a forced chuckle, his cheeks turning a little pink. “i… uh… bumped into someone this morning. got a little too… friendly with the mirror.” he gave a weak laugh, but hoseok wasn’t buying it.
jungkook leaned in, pointing at the lipstick marks. “bumped into the mirror? really? i didn’t know mirrors gave out lipstick stains, hyung.”
jin fumbled for something to say, his usual confidence faltering just a little. “it’s— it’s nothing. really. just a little… accident.”
“uh-huh,” hoseok said, raising an eyebrow. “accident? that doesn’t look like an accident. that looks like a very intentional moment of affection.”
jungkook was biting back a grin. “sid she leave a note, hyung? or was it more of a we’ll pretend this never happened kind of deal?”
jin groaned, rubbing his neck again. “okay, okay. i get it. you two are detectives now.” he shot them a pointed look. “but can we please focus? we’ve got practice to get to.”
despite his protests, hoseok and jungkook couldn’t stop teasing. “so, when can we meet her, hyung?” hoseok asked with a wink. “we’ll definitely be watching out for that lipstick.”
“yeah, i’m sure she’s got great taste,” jungkook added, clearly enjoying himself. jin’s face flushed, “that’s it. i’m done. i’m leaving.” he turned to walk out, his embarrassment evident.
before he could escape, hoseok called out, “hey! don’t think you’re getting away without us finding out who she is.”
jin paused in the doorway, rolling his eyes, but a small smile tugged at his lips. “you’ll find out… eventually.”
as the door clicked shut, hoseok and jungkook exchanged a look. “we are so getting closer to figuring this out,” jungkook said, his grin wide.
hoseok was standing in front of the stove with a wooden spoon in his hand and a completely lost look on his face. “this… doesn’t look right,” he muttered, eyeing the bubbling pot of what was supposed to be ramen.
jungkook leaned over his shoulder, wrinkling his nose. “is that… cheese? when did we put cheese in this?” “i thought it’d make it better!” hoseok groaned. “but now it’s just a mess.”
hoseok grabbed his phone. “okay, emergency. we’re calling jin-hyung.”
within a few rings, jin picked up, sounding casual as ever. “yo,” he said. “what’s up?”
“hyung, we’re dying. come save us,” hoseok said dramatically. “we tried cooking and—well, the kitchen’s not on fire, but it’s not not on fire.”
jin laughed, but before he could reply, a soft voice chimed in from the background on his end—your voice. light and bubbly, followed by the sound of giggling.
“you’re so mean—” you said between laughs, too far from the mic to be clear, but definitely close enough to be heard.
“hyung?” jungkook said slowly, leaning closer to the phone. “who… was that?”
“huh?” jin replied quickly. a little too quickly. “no one. tv.” hoseok raised an eyebrow. “that didn’t sound like the tv.”
“really? must’ve been a rom-com,” jin said casually, but there was something off in his voice—like he was trying not to laugh. another small giggle came through the line, muffled this time, but still clearly real.
“HYUNG,” hoseok gasped. “you’re not alone!”
jom didn’t respond right away.
“jin,” jungkook said again, now grinning. “is someone there with you? like, someone someone?”
“i’m hanging up now,” Jin muttered, flustered, and the call immediately ended.
the silence in the kitchen was deafening before hoseok let out a gasp and smacked jungkook’s arm.
jungkook was already jumping in place. “that’s her! that has to be her!” hoseok nodded excitedly. “that was not a friend. that was a girlfriend laugh. i know that laugh!”
jungkook ran to the living room to grab his phone. “we’re gonna figure this out. she laughed like someone comfortable. like someone who’s been around jin a lot.”
hoseok was already pacing. “and she giggled at something he said! we’re so close, jay kay. so close.”
jungkook flipped open his notes app. “clue #5: heard mystery girl laughing in jin’s house. confirmed she finds him funny. possibly in love. definitely real.”
hoseok grinned, “this is the most exciting thing that’s happened all week.”
it started out innocent enough— jin had forgotten his charger at the studio, and jungkook just happened to know the code to his apartment. hoseok, of course, just so happened to tag along.
“we’re literally just dropping it off,” jungkook said, holding up the charger like it was some kind of official delivery. “yeah,” hoseok agreed. “dropping it off and maybe doing a teeny bit of investigating.”
they stepped inside jin’s apartment, both already scanning the place with eagle eyes. it looked normal—clean, organized, the faint smell of Jin’s cologne lingering in the air. but then hoseok stopped dead in his tracks.
a perfectly placed hello kitty plush.
jungkook turned around and saw it too, his jaw dropping. “that was not there before.”
“nope,” hoseok said, slowly walking toward it like it might attack. “that is not jin’s vibe. he’s more… alpacas and mario kart.”
jungkook crouched down in front of the plush, studying it like it was a crime scene clue. “it’s clean. it’s recent. no dust. this… this has been cuddled.”
hoseok gasped, “you think she stayed the night?”
“i think she lives here now,” jungkook whispered dramatically. there was a brief, reverent silence as the two of them stared at the tiny pink bow on hello kitty’s head.
jungkook pulled out his phone. “clue #6: mysterious feminine plush on jin’s couch. highly suspicious. highly cute.”
hoseok nodded seriously. “we’re onto her. she’s leaving breadcrumbs.”
“and we are eating them,” jungkook said proudly.
at this point, hoseok and jungkook weren’t even pretending to have a reason to be at jin’s apartment—they were just nosy and determined.
“he said he was working all day,” jungkook whispered as they slipped inside, “so we’ve got time to look.”
“just a quick check,” hoseok agreed, eyes scanning the room like a detective in a crime drama. “in and out. we’re not being weird.”
ten seconds later, they were in the kitchen and that’s when hoseok stopped cold. “dude.” he pointed into the sink like it was a pile of gold.
there, sitting on top of jin’s usual black mugs and stainless steel tumblers, was a pastel pink ceramic mug with little strawberries on it. strawberries.
even worse? the words “you’re berry cute” were printed in cursive under the rim.
jungkook’s mouth dropped open. “oh my god. that is not his.” hoseok picked it up carefully, like it was sacred. “this is hers. she drinks coffee here.”
“it’s got lipstick on the rim,” jungkook whispered, pointing. “she left a mark. this is literal evidence.” hoseok squinted, “same shade as the neck stain, i’m calling it.”
they stood there in stunned silence for a moment, the mug like a trophy between them. “she’s leaving a trail,” jungkook said. “this is marking her territory.”
hoseok nodded like he was decoding a conspiracy. “pink mug. lipstick stain. left in plain sight. she wants us to know.”
jungkook gasped. “she’s taunting us.”
just then, hoseok’s phone buzzed with a text from jin.
jin: do not touch the pink mug. it’s not yours.
you were curled up on jin’s couch, legs tucked under you, your hello kitty plush hugged close to your chest. jin was in the kitchen, putting away dishes, when he suddenly laughed under his breath.
you looked over at him, “what’s funny?”
he turned toward you, a playful glint in his eyes. “i think they’re onto us.” you blinked, then smiled slowly. “hobi and jungkook?”
jin nodded, walking over to flop down next to you. “they’ve been acting so weird. asking me random questions. dropping by my place like they’re not obviously snooping. jungkook stared at a mug for like ten minutes.”
you bit your lip to hide your grin, “my mug?” jin raised an eyebrow. “the one that says ‘you’re berry cute’? yeah. that one.”
you laughed, burying your face in the plush. “oh my gosh, no way.” he leaned his head back against the couch, smiling up at the ceiling. “they’ve seen the lipstick stains. the plushie. the photo in my wallet. i think… they’re putting it all together.”
you sat up a little, eyes shining. “do you wanna tell them?” jin turned to you, that signature smirk tugging at his lips. “not yet. i wanna see how far they’ll go first.”
you giggled, sliding closer to him until your head rested on his shoulder. “you’re evil.”
“me?” he tilted his head like he was offended. “you’re the one who left the mug out on purpose.” you shrugged, smiling innocently. “maybe i just like watching them suffer.”
he wrapped an arm around you, chuckling. “god, you’re perfect.” you hummed against his shoulder, voice soft. “think they’ll freak out when they realize it’s me?”
“oh, 100%,” jin said. “but it’ll be worth every second.” his plump lips kissed your temple.
later that week, it was quiet in the building’s lobby when hoseok and jungkook stepped in, still buzzing from their latest theory.
“she’s definitely staying over,” jungkook whispered. “stains, plush, lipstick mug—it’s basically a second home.”
hoseok nodded. “at this point, she’s practically moved in.” Thehey headed toward the practice room, mid-convo, when they heard laughter echoing through the hall.
the one hoseok recognized from the phone call and the grocery store. he froze, “wait. wait—that’s her.”
they whipped around the corner, and that’s when they saw it.
you were standing near the elevators, casually chatting with your uncle—their manager. your hair was pulled back, a tote bag slung over your shoulder, and you were laughing at something he said, just like the first day hoseok saw you at the store.
and then you turned slightly.
enough for the sunlight to hit your face.
enough for them to see you.
jungkook gasped, “THAT’S HER.”
hoseok eyes went wide, “THAT’S JIN’S GIRLFRIEND.”
you looked over at the sound of movement and locked eyes with them both. there was a flicker of recognition in your expression. you smiled politely.
but it was already too late. jungkook leaned over to hoseok, “that’s the girl from the wallet picture. the laugh. the mug. the everything. it all makes sense now.”
“she’s the niece,” hoseok whispered back, stunned. “she’s the manager’s niece!”
you took a step toward them, casually, with a knowing little smirk on your lips.
“hey,” you greeted, voice calm, sweet, like you hadn’t just shattered every assumption they’d been building for weeks. “you guys have been looking for me, haven’t you?”
they blinked. speechless. mouths open.
“what—how did—?” jungkook stammered.
you just laughed again—that laugh—and suddenly, it wasn’t a mystery anymore. it was hilarious.
jin strolled out of the hallway a second later, throwing an arm around your shoulders like he’d done at the store. “oh,” he said, totally unfazed. “you found her.”
“you—you knew we were snooping?!” hoseok exploded, eyes wide. jin grinned. “Obviously.”
you leaned into jin, laughing. “you guys are terrible spies.” jungkook looked like his soul had just left his body. “this whole time…”
jin nodded proudly, “this whole time.” hoseok groaned, covering his face. “we were literally taking notes.”
you and jin both laughed as you walked past them, hand in hand. “nice mug, by the way,” jungkook muttered under his breath.
you looked back over your shoulder with a wink. “thanks. it’s my favorite.”
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