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"Here, eat up." Taehyung slides the plate of ttbeokbokki closer to me, beside my kimchi stew that's already infront of me. It's late in the night and Taehyung decided to stop by to grab some food, before he drops me home.
I breathe in the spicy aroma of the steaming hot kimchi stew and ttbeokbokki. There's that gnawing feeling in my stomach again. It's because I haven't ate the whole day.
"You shouldn't be starving yourself," he tells me taking notice of my hesitance to eat.
"I uh...I'm just on a diet," I timidly say.
"Diet?" He questions, with a dumbfounded look on his face. "What for?"
"Since we're going to be graduating soon, my friend told me I shouldn't eat too much. I might gain weight and the workplace don't choose people who are...you know..."
He stays silent, looking at me with blinking eyes. I know it sounds crazy but in Korean society, attractiveness is considered a priority. As for job applications, appearance is important. Many companies require applicants to include photos and stating their weight and height.
"I can understand why you think that way," he sighs. "Korean society can be so toxic. But you shouldn't let society convince you to mold yourself to fit into the beauty standards." He pauses, gazing deeply into my eyes. "Because to me you're the standard."
~~~
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"Reina," Taehyung timidly says, as we walk side by side towards his car, parked two blocks down the empty street. "There's uh...something I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if uh..." he pauses, looking shy all of a sudden, "Uh if you're busy this weekend? We can—"
"Oh look," a man rasps, with two more men emerging behind him. "Aren't we lucky?" They burst into an obnoxious laughter.
Taehyung immediately steps in-front of me, shielding me.
