Chapter Text
Jin and you had become pretty close friends since you moved to Korea. It’s not every day that your first friend made becomes your best friend. It’s also not everyday you meet someone like Jin. You felt really fortunate enough to have met someone so soon and that was so kind, funny, and had just as big of an appetite as you do.
You never imagined that anyone like Jin would actually want to be friends with someone like you. He wasn’t only charming but… handsome—like, if you know anything about the K-pop group he is in, his nickname is literally “Worldwide Handsome.” Sure, it sounds cheesy, but once you met him, you could immediately understand the nickname.
You try to ignore that your best friend is extremely handsome—like it does not make sense for someone like him to be out walking about with someone that looks like you. For one thing, he’s this well-known superstar and he is out and about getting food with some small foreign girl?
You still do not understand why he hangs out with you. You do really think that it is because you are the only one he knows that likes literally all the same foods he likes. That’s basically how your friendship began anyway—you were a photographer for a campaign featuring prominent K-pop artists such as BTS and were wrapping for the day when a very hungry Jin came over to the crafts table. You were munching on some Orion Turtle Corn Soup chips when he casually started talking, “So, Ms. Photographer, now that we’ve got all my beauty shots done, I can eat? Is it Ms. Or…?”
You didn’t realize who he was talking to until after you glanced up at him and realized Kim Seokjin was staring right at you. You stared back up at him with chip in your mouth; you nearly choked.
“Pardon?” You finally managed.
“I was inquiring if it’s alright if I can eat now that all the beauty shots of me are done.” He explained.
You blinked, attempting to process all of this. You are not used to models, especially celebrities making conversation with you. “I-uh-yes… I mean, I don’t discourage anyone from eating for any reason, especially a photoshoot… Everyone needs their energy to work.”
“That’s very good of you. I’m sure few people listen to you on that though.” He said.
You just stood there looking back at him, just shocked that he was talking to you.
He looked down at the crafts table as if studying it. He scanned over a small array of snacks including chips, chocolates, juice, and fruit.
"Do you have any recommendations?" He inquired.
You quickly swallowed the chips in your mouth before responding. "Well, the turtle chips are my favorite of all the snacks I've tried in Korea thus far. The corn soup is the best flavor." You pointed at the chips. "They are perfect balance of sweet and salty, but--"
Before you could finish your statement, he grabbed a handful and ate it. "Mmm. You're right."
You laughed, "However, Shindangdong Tteokbokki is good if you prefer spicy."
“I really want some real food though. I’d kill for an American hamburger or just some rice.” He continued.
“Did you say American hamburger?” You asked.
He nodded.
“I know a great place near my apartment. It was one of the first things I noticed since I moved here.” You told him.
“Really?”
“Yeah! You should check it out. It’s really good like I really like it. It tastes just like the hamburgers from America, it’s so cool.” You explained to him.
“What’s it called?” He inquired.
“Oh—I forgot—hold on, I’ll look it up.” You pulled out your phone and found it listed and showed him.
He took your phone and scrolled through the online menu. “Oh, this sounds so good! I really want this.” He showed you the screen again to point out what he was interested in.
“You should try it.” You smiled at him. “I’ve had it, it was as amazing as it sounds.”
His face lit up back at you. “My mouth is watering. Let’s go!”
You laughed until you realized he really meant “let us go.”
“What are you waiting for?” He asked. “You’re done for the day, aren’t you?”
"Um, I mean, yes… but—”
“But what? Come on, I want you to show me this place. Since I’ve never been, I’ll trust you in ordering.” He told you.
“But—”
“If you’re worried about it, I’ll pay.”
“Wait, what—you can’t—”
“Come on.” He grabbed your hand and was leading you off.
“What—what about your friends—”
“They’ll be fine. They had mentioned going to get kimchi fried rice or something, but I’d rather try these hamburgers with you.” He smiled back at you.
“Oh.” Is all you could manage to say.
He ended up getting you two a cab and like he had said, treating you to hamburgers. You tried three different burgers, splitting them and getting a side of loaded French fries and a side of onion rings plus a milkshake and Coca-Colas. It kind of felt like a date… but also not really because you would have never been as comfortable on a date as you were with Jin that night, eating a bunch of junk food. You were mid-bite on the double-decker burger when he looked up at you with a big grin.
“What?” You muffled out.
“This is so much fun.” He smiled.
“What?”
“This is so much—”
“No, no, I heard that—I mean like… what? How?” You chuckled as you swallowed the food.
“I’ve not had like a really fun outing and meal with someone in awhile like this—like no one would order this much and this kind of food with me. They’d also probably reprimand me for eating like this… Like I am really happy right now because of this—because of you.” He told you.
You probably turned bright pink from blushing because when you looked at him again, he was grinning really big at you. You nearly died—his grin is so precious. You quickly looked away before you blushed more—but then you noticed a little bit of milkshake around his mouth.
You got serious again, “I—um—Jin…”
“Yes?” He looked up at you.
“You have a little—like-little—someth—mil—” You stuttered.
“Something on my face?” He asked.
You nodded.
“Can you help me? Where is it?” He desperately inquired.
You nodded again— You didn’t know what else to do so you just reached over with your index finger to wipe the milkshake from his mouth—gosh, you felt like you were in a fanfiction and a bunch of scenarios kept running through your mind like what if as you're reaching, he grabs you and kisses you or you clean it off and he says to you, “You missed a spot.” Then kisses you! Yeah, that didn’t happen.
You were wiping it off his face for just a second when suddenly you overheard a voice, “Oh my gosh. Is that Kim Seokjin of BTS? Who is that girl with him? They look very close…” You quickly moved your hand away and looked at Jin solemnly.
“What’s wrong?” He asked you.
You whispered, “Someone has recognized you.”
“I can take care of it, Y/N. Don’t worry.” He assured you.
Jin put his mask on, pulled his hoodie over his head, then grabbed your hand as you got up from the table. He quickly used his body to shield you from being seen by anyone in the restaurant. He lead you out back, towards the kitchen. He told you to wait for a moment while he paid. After a moment of nervously waiting, you felt a strong grip take hold of your hand and lead you out the back of the restaurant and into a waiting cab. You looked at him in awe—and he was still holding your hand—then you realized the cab just passed your apartment.
“Excuse me, sir, you just passed my apartment.” You told the cab driver.
“Oh, Y/N, I’m sorry—I didn’t tell you… um, I’m worried about you going to your apartment right away—just in case someone happened to follow us from the restaurant. The driver is just going to drive around and take the long-way back to assure we’ll be okay.” Jin explained.
You nodded, “Oh.”
Jin smiled at you, “Thank you for being understanding and also realizing the situation at the restaurant before it got worse.”
You smiled back. Jin looked at you, then down at your hands—realizing he was still holding your hand tightly before he quickly released your hand and profusely apologized.
“It’s okay.” You quietly told him.
He rubbed his neck, “Uh. Thanks… Um, it was a lot of fun, you know.” He paused for a moment. “I mean like… eating…with you..um, I mean, I want- want to… do it again. Like I want to go try another restaurant with you.”
You looked at him, shocked—like was he implying that he wanted to spend more time with you?
“You have good taste and like eating with you allows me to try even more dishes.” He continued. “If you hadn’t told me about that place, I’d never have known about it and honestly, I’d wanna go back there again. I’m definitely going to get takeout for the guys one day.”
“I’m really glad you liked it, Jin!” You grinned.
He told you there’s a Japanese restaurant he has been hearing about that he wants to try.
“That sounds cool.” You told him.
“So you’ll go with me?” He asked.
“You want me to go… with you?”
“Are you free anytime soon? Are you free tomorrow night or Sunday?”
“Um, I’m actually free tomorrow night after eight, then I am free all of Sunday afternoon.” You replied. "I actually don't have another photoshoot till the one with you guys on Monday."
He beamed, “Awesome! I’ll take you to the Japanese restaurant tomorrow night, then on Sunday, I’ll take you to this place I’ve been hearing about in Busan!”
Your mouth dropped. Did he just say he wants to hang out tomorrow night and Sunday—and take you to somewhere in Busan? A trip to Busan?!
"Actually, there's this place I went with Jungkook the other day. Maybe you'd like to go with us on Monday after the photoshoot?" He added.
The drive went surprisingly quick considering the driver really drove out of the way just to drive you right back to your apartment again. Jin kept you busy by initiating ice-breaker games like 2 Truths and a Lie and more. He and you realized that you had a lot more in common than expected—you both like the same types of movies, same superheroes, games, foods (obviously), and more. But once he found out you actually like Dad jokes, he wouldn't stop trying to make you laugh. Sometimes, you were slow to understand since Korean isn't your first language.
When you finally arrived back to your apartment and the driver came to a stop, Jin quickly hopped out of the car ahead of the driver to open your door and help you out. You don't remember the last time a guy did this.
As he walked with you to your door, he said, “I’ll pick you up here at 8:30 tomorrow, okay?”
You almost had forgotten that he had asked you to dinner again. It doesn't seem real.
“Yeah, that works. I’ll make sure to come hungry—which won’t be a difficult task for me; I’m always hungry.” You told him with a chuckle.
"Me too!" He gasped. "You’re so much fun. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
You start blushing again, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” You gave him a wave goodbye before stepping inside.
He waited until you were inside and had locked the door before he left.