Begin Again

Four

"Look, we can park there and walk to the store." Jimin told Jin.

Jin pulled into one of the open spaces in the parking lot and they exited the car. As they began to walk towards the store, they noticed that some people were stopping to look at them and then whisper to each other.

After seeing it a couple of times, Jimin asked, "What the fuck is everyone staring at?"

Jin looked at a few of the people and realized they were all looking at him and he began to feel self conscious. He had a nagging suspicion that he was the talk of the town.

They entered the store and grabbed a buggy. They walked from aisle to aisle grabbing what was needed and chatting amongst themselves. But still noticing the gossipy townspeople.

"I swear if one more person points at us and whispers I'm just gonna pop them." Jimin tells him.

Jin laughs and says, "Let's just hurry up and pay so we can get out of here."

They pull up to the register and see a well dressed woman ahead of them. She is wearing gold high heels with pink satin pants and a silver blouse. Her hair is permed and she's wearing a pink rose hair clip behind her ear. She is talking to the cashier and appears to be gossiping with her. They laugh out loud as they proceed through the checkout.

Jin and Jimin wait patiently behind her and pick out magazines to dig through.

Suddenly they hear a whiny voice say, "Seokjin-ah! How wonderful to see you here. I heard a rumor you came back. I even told my friends that you would probably return after that embarrassing scene on TV. I mean where else could you possibly go to? And look! Here you are in the flesh. My friend owes me $5 now."

"Oh hey Anheul. How have you been?" Jin replies.

"Well, I have been great. I married well, as you can see." She flashes a huge diamond ring on her finger at him.

"Oh, it's nice." He replies.

She frowns a bit, kind of expecting a bigger reaction from him. Then says, "So I guess you are moving back to your mother's house now. I still can't believe what happened to you on national television! Omg! I would just die! The humiliation of it all."

"Hey! Why don't you.." Jin covers Jimin's mouth before he continues and says, "Yes, well. You live and learn I guess."

Anheul seems to get frustrated at not getting him riled up so she pays for her groceries and tells him, "Well, it was good seeing you. I'm sure we'll see each other around soon."

Jin waves her away and starts placing his things on the conveyor belt. The cashier starts scanning while sneaking glances at Jin.

When she was done she tells him, "Just so you know, not all of us are happy about what happened to you. I think it was disgraceful of that woman to do that to you in front of the whole world to see."

"Thank you."

She smiles and tells him the amount of his groceries. Waving happily at him as they walk out of the store.

"Well at least she wasn't such a bitch as that other one. Who the fuck was that anyway?" Jimin asks.

"Her name is Anheul. We went to school together from middle school on up. She hates me cause she had a thing for Taehyung. And she just about spit fire when she found out that I was dating him.

"Well no wonder she hates you. Especially since Taehyung still loves you."

"Get out of here! He does not."

Jimin laughs as they load the groceries into the car but doesn't say anything else.

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