Acceptance

They sat on the empty patio of a small resturant; they were the only customers outside. Seo-yeon found it odd that there were no other people, but she pushed the thought to the side. Jin knew the owner, who was the relative of a staff member at BigHit, and had asked for a favor. Of course he obliged, without an issue, or expectation of some sort of returned favor. Jin never asks for extravagant requests like this, but he wanted to spend some alone time with Seo-yeon. He didn't allow himself time to question if this was due to interest in building a friendship, or if he was beginning to like her. He didn't dare move his thoughts in that direction, and placed his order instead.

"Where's Yoongi? I'm used to you two making an appearance together."

"He didn't feel like going out today. He had some things he wanted work on, and I didn't want to get in his way." Yoongi was working on their music, and Jin knows how intense he becomes when he is inspired. He would not impose on his artistic abilities, so used that as an excuse to seek Seo-yeon out. "I enjoy your company, and wanted to get to know you more."

Seo-yeon could feel her face burning, and knew her face must be red. Jin had removed his mask when they sat down, but kept the hat on. She touched her cheeks trying to rub the red away, which made Jin smile. 'Ugh, how can he say things like that so easily?'

"The food's here. Let's eat." Jin said trying to spare her anymore embarassment. He didn't intend to make her feel uncomfortable, or shy, and told himself he needed to be careful of what he said. 'Don't cause any misunderstandings by saying things like that,' he scolded himself.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Jin asked.

"I'm twenty-six. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-seven. Is Kang Dae your brother?"

"No, well, not biologically. He's my younger brother's best friend. I hired him because he was willing to work simply to gain experience, and I really needed the help."

"Oh, so you two are more like siblings, and not in a relationship." Jin grimanced to himself. That statement came out of his mouth before he could stop himself. 'What are you doing? You just said you wanted to avoid any misunderstandings,' his once again scolded himself.

"What about you? Are you in a relationship?" Seo-yeon questioned, surprising herself that she was hoping he wasn't.

"I don't have time to date. I need to focus on my career." Jin mumbled, frustrated that he had to repeat this statement, as if he were being interviewed. He couldn't explain to her that dating wouldn't be a good idea for not only his career, but for the safety of whichever girl he decides to pursue a relationship with. Even befriending Seo-yeon could become a problem for the both of them. Although there are fans that love him, and only want him to live a long, happy life, he is not blind to the ones that see him as an object that belongs to them.

They sat quietly staring at each other, feeling awkward with Jin's response. She didn't understand why, but her question about relationships seemed to change the environment, and she wished she could take it back. She could sense Jin was not telling something, which connected to how he answered. 'Maybe he had a bad breakup?' This being the only thing she could come up with to explain his mood change.

"Would you like to take pictures with me?" she asked, hoping to lift his mood.

"You'd trust me with your camera?"

"Of course not," she giggled, "You can borrow Kang Dae's."

"I'd love to. Where will we be going on this photo shoot?"

"We can go to that light house I nearly died trying to get to."

Jin laughed, touched that she noticed how uncomfortable the topic of relationships was for him, yet didn't interrogate, but instead used her wit to bring the friendly atmosphere back. He appreciated her ability to read his emotions, and her compassion towards him to try and make him feel better. His smile vanished for a split second as he allowed himself to acknowledge that he was interested in her more than he expected, but he wasn't going to let this acceptance ruin what little time he had with her. He set his mind to enjoying his time with her before he had to return home.