Idol Soulmate | Jinkook AU✔️

10

Jungkook ordered the same sausage, egg and rice breakfast that Seokjin was already cooking for himself on their quiet morning, so Jin merely skipped his breakfast and continued cooking the sausages for the singer, that way they'd be quick with the order and not have him wait too long.

After they sent out his order, Seokjin was gnawing at his inner cheek and wondering what in the hell he should do if he somehow encountered the man.

And sure enough, his overthinking was finally useful for once.

The hostess steps through the kitchen doors and she points towards the seating area. "Chef? Jeon Jungkook-ssi wants to see you." She looks shaken by the artist's presence.

Seokjin's face immediately heats up and his heart begins to race in his chest. He hopes that his name wasn't given away or nothing was wrong with the food he'd sent out.

He steps out of the kitchen with the hostess and makes his way towards the main room. When he gets there, he halts and stares in awe once he sees him.

Jeon Jungkook.

He's glowing like a star in the night. His dark brown hair is half-tied back into a little ponytail and he's wearing the most casual clothes possible– just a regular long sleeved gray shirt and some matching sweatpants, but he still looks like a star. There's even a bodyguard dressed in black standing beside his table and he's eating with some other fancy-looking guy who's across from him.

Seokjin gulps as he walks with weak knees towards his table. He clears his throat as he approaches, but it still doesn't help him feel secure at all.

"H-Hello, I'm Chef Kim."

The second his and Jungkook's eyes meet, Seokjin is an absolute goner. Nothing can compare to those big brown, innocent-looking eyes. They shine so prettily under the lights. But after a moment of those bright eyes glancing up at him, Jungkook furrows his eyebrows and Seokjin immediately holds back the panic in his own eyes.

"Wait," Jungkook mutters with the softest and sweetest voice Seokjin has ever heard in his entire life. "You're not Chef Kim..?"

Seokjin stares blankly at him for a moment, processing his words over and over again,  and then it finally clicks.

"Oh. Were you hoping to see the owner, Chef Kim?" he questions. Jungkook nods, still staring up at him in awe. Once again, Seokjin clears his throat. "Chef Kim stepped down recently. I am now Chef Kim."

"Oh," Jungkook mumbles, seeming a bit disappointed. He finally looks away from Seokjin, but then quickly looks back up at him. "Well, your cooking is really nice too. What's your name?"

Fear instantly surges through Seokjin's entire body like a sudden shock of electricity. "Chef Kim," he quickly repeats. "Just call me that. Chef Kim." There's no reason at all to give this man his full name. After all, there's no point in trying what will never work out.

He hides his real name.

And when he looks down to try and see if the pop star has a name on his wrist, he can't see anything. His wrist is hidden underneath his sleeve as well.

"I'll be visiting the restaurant more this week," Jungkook randomly tells him. Seokjin wonders why fate is so cruel to him. "I'm here to celebrate my birthday in my hometown. I used to come to this place all the time, but now I'm twenty-one and I can finally afford my own meals," he says with a big bunny-like grin on his face.

Seokjin is so screwed.

"Your hometown?" Seokjin questions, feeling like a total dummy.

Jungkook nods happily. "Yup."

How did he not know such a thing before today? In such a small town, how come he never heard that the Jeon Jungkook was born and raised here?

"I don't usually talk about where I'm from," Jungkook suddenly states, probably noticing the wonder in the older's eyes. Seokjin tries to fix his expression to stay calm. "I left here to go to Seoul when I was just a preteen, so it's not like you'd remember me or anything." He tilts his head up at Seokjin. "I don't recognize you. Are you from here too, Chef Kim?"

Seokjin clears his throat once more, feeling the dimples above his lips pop in as he does. "Um, yes, actually. I'm from here. I also used to come to this restaurant a lot. My friend's dad is Chef Kim, the owner, so we used to hang out here. Chef Kim taught me how to cook a lot and it inspired me to become a chef just like him."

He notices the way Jungkook looks up at him with stars in his eyes.

"That's so cool," he half-whispers to himself, then speaks louder, "I've met Kim Taehyung before."

Seokjin stares at him for a second. " I... honestly thought he was lying when he said he was friends with you back then."

Jungkook giggles and it's the most perfect thing he's ever heard. He wants to hear it a million times over, wants to be the reason for it as well. But it's not just something he can admit so easily.

"Oh," Jungkook lets out as he looks back and sees more customers walking in who immediately stare in awe at the man like he's art in a museum. "I should let you get back to cooking. Sorry, I just thought you were the owner and wanted to see him."

"It's okay," Seokjin tells him. "Sorry to disappoint. I could call Chef Kim and ask him to visit tomorrow..? He comes here all the time anyways."

A soft smile forms on Jungkook's lips. "I'd appreciate it. I haven't seen him in years." He pauses and smiles bigger. "And for the record, I'm not disappointed at all."

Seokjin knows then and there that he is totally screwed.

Nothing has ever made his heart race like this before, and he knows it's for a reason. He knows where he's meant to be, who he's meant to be with. He just has a hard time admitting that anything could ever happen between them given their situation.

How could an idol ever be with someone like him?

~~~