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❝ 𝘊 𝘏 𝘈 𝘗 𝘛 𝘌 𝘙 𝘛 𝘞 𝘌 𝘕 𝘛 𝘠 𝘚 𝘐 𝘟 ❞
JIN WAITED UNTIL HE WAS DONE WITH the dishes to go and talk to Ariya, maybe in some misguided attempt to give her space to relax when that was the very last thing she needed, to be left alone in her hazy mist of confusion. He tore his gloves from his hands and calmly made his way to Ariya's room to clear things up with her.
God, he was such an idiot. Telling her that she essentially meant nothing to him romantically and then telling her he'd miss her when she's gone. It's becoming harder and harder for both of them to distinguish the blurry line between lust and real emotions of substance. They try so hard to keep from it altogether, but they always venture too close, with no way to know when they've crossed to the other side until it's too late.
He knocked on the door before entering her room, carefully peaking in to find her lying in bed, sniffling softly. Her shoulders jumped subtly with each little sound she made. "Ariya," Jin pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door back up behind himself. He slowly crept over to her bed to not disturb her too much.
She felt the dip in the mattress beneath her as he sat down beside her and placed his hand on her back. "I didn't mean to upset you, gongju." For once he isn't berating her or teasing her, nothing like that. He was sincere. He was just as confused as she was, trying to navigate a new and rather annoying world of emotions.
Ariya wanted to slap him and kiss him all at the same time. "You're so fucking confusing." She murmured into her pillow, blinking away the few stray tears that remained in her eyes. "Do you hate me or will you miss me when I leave? I understand that you don't want to invest your emotions in something that's temporary, but don't tell me you'll miss me. Commit, Seokjin."
Commit. Commit to what? Commit to her? To his determination to keep distance between them? Jin wasn't sure if he could do either. Ariya's father called just the other day asking about her progress. When he said she was doing well and progressing fast, he hit Jin with a bombshell.
"Great, in that case, I want her to return by the end of next month." It made Jin choke on the coffee he was leisurely sipping on in the bath of early morning light. His serene morning, started by checking in on Ariya while she slept before going to make himself coffee, was utterly ruined.
Jim wanted to tell him no, to backtrack on everything he said and tell him she wasn't getting any better and she'd have to stay in Korea probably for the rest of her life in order to improve. "You can't rush perfection," he insisted almost defensively.
"I want my daughter back by the end of next month, Seokjin. She doesn't need to be perfect, just good enough to attract a husband. She's getting older, she needs to settle down and get married."
But he would be in the wrong to curse him out in Korean.
She doesn't need to get married. Her entire existence doesn't just add up to getting married and popping out as many babies as her husband wants. Hell, he'll spend the rest of his life feeding her just in spite of her father.
But Jin couldn't do anything to protect Ariya's autonomy which she's only been recently able to exercise away from her father. He gave it, defeated, placing his hand over his head. "Okay."
He quite literally couldn't have her, even if he did want her.
"How am I meant to commit to something I don't even understand?" It wasn't working. He couldn't disconnect his heart from sex even if he tried, not with her, this bratty, spoiled, insufferable princess. His bratty, spoiled, insufferable princess.
Ariya said nothing in return. Jin turned her over to look at her, bronze cheeks covered in dark streaks of mascara. He couldn't help but smile, arrogantly charming as usual. "You look like a mess." He licked his thumb, ready to smudge it across her face when she finally reacted. "Jin, you better not. I will kill you."
Finally. Someone end his suffering so he won't have to eventually watch as she boards that plane and leaves him.
Jin looked around at her vanity for makeup wipes so she can wipe her face. Eventually, he found them and got up to grab one from that package.
"I can do it myself." She insisted as he pushed her hand out of the way when she attempted to take the wipe from him. Jin took the liberty to lift her head and gently wipe her cheeks. "You're a spoiled princess. You're not used to doing anything by yourself." He's right, but she's learning to become independent through him. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for life.
There was something so undeniably intimate about the way he gently rubs away the mess she had made on her pretty face. Even without makeup, she still looked golden, like her nickname's sake, a princess.
"I don't hate you, Ariya." He admitted to her, moving to the other cheek to wipe away her stained tears. His almond eyes softened, bottomless pits of chocolate brown, honey-sweet. "I've never hated you. Sure, you're annoying," she slapped his arm. "But I don't hate you. I'm just trying to save us both from potentially getting hurt. What are we going to do when you have to leave, huh? I can't afford to have you leave your heart in Korea because I'm not going to be the one to hold you back." He refused.
Ariya had no idea what he wanted her to say to that. He was being noble, utterly and entirely selfless for once.
"It would be better if we didn't sleep together anymore. I'm serious this time." He has to say that because the last time they agreed never to have sex again, that was quickly pushed to the side and disregarded. "Your father wants you back in America by the end of next month. We should just focus on making sure you're prepared for the world." There was so much she still needed to learn in just a month. They'd have to cram and hopefully, she actually picked up something useful.
Ariya could refuse. She could demand that their celibacy from one another wouldn't help anything, but she wasn't stupid, she knew it was for the better that they stop being intimate. It was blurring the lines, making it harder to navigate this risky relationship between the two of them.
So they redraw the line and they stay far, far away from them. There's professional and unprofessional and they must know which side they stand on.
"If it makes you feel any better," he lowered his gaze, "I'm not happy about this either."
"It doesn't."
*.✧ Kᴀʏs Eɴᴅɪɴɢ Nᴏᴛᴇs
This one is a shorter chapter but we're nearing the end of the book so it doesn't really matter. This chapter and the last chapter were supposed to be together as one long chapter but I decided to split them up into digestible pieces.
I have no idea what will be the last chapter. It may be the next chapter or the one Thank you all for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed and I wish you all a wonderful day/night.
