EATJIN! | KSJ & PJM

-intro: O! RU L8 2?-

Seokjin banged his head on the steering wheel furiously. He'd completely forgotten about his appearance at the high school, and not only was he less than unprepared, he was also running late. 

"Come on, come on," He urged the street light, which was currently flashing a striking red hue. "Change already!"

The light completely ignored his plea, continuing to stay that infuriating scarlet color, and Seokjin had to refrain from screaming. After a torturous long minute, the light finally gave in, switching to a green that signaled Seokjin to step on it.

He didn't hesitate before slamming down on the acceleration pedal, probably going a few score kilometers above the speed limit. Seokjin didn't care. The man was late. He didn't have time to admire the scenery of Seoul outside his car window like he usually did, because he was too focused on not crashing into the car in front of him. Luckily, he managed not kill anyone that day, because even if he was driving recklessly, he could always heal them with his angelic face.

Namjoon had told him he was being ridiculous; that it was physically impossible to heal someone's physical wounds by doing aegyo, and while music could repair the brain, Seokjin's aegyo couldn't do anything to heal a cracked skull. That was when Seokjin told him he loved him, then proceeded to tell him to "kindly shut the fuck up".

Namjoon had just shook his head, laughing to himself, then proceeded to make some instant noodles.

Seokjin flung the white car door open as soon as the car stopped, and raced inside the building, quickly signing in and running straight to the gym. He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings, not minding the halls that had been nicely tidied up just for his brief appearance, and completely abandoning the thought of following school rules and not running in the halls.

Again, he didn't care. He was late, for God's sake.

Luckily, Seokjin made it to the assembly as the kids filed into the gym, sitting on the bleachers at the back of the gymnasium. Heaving and panting, he forced himself to find the principal, who was situated on the stairs backstage.

"Chef Kim!" The principal exclaimed, suddenly standing up. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulders. She was quite young, and extremely pretty,  and for some reason, the simple black dress she was wearing seemed to make her even prettier. "You're here."

"Sorry I'm late, Ms. Kwon." He apologized, lowering his head. Her cheeks rosed, and a smile grew across her face as she told him it was okay.

"Just be ready to give your speech." She said, extending her hand for Seokjin to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, by the way."

A memory attached to her face surfaced in his mind. He coule finally recognize it. She was the teacher who'd come out as asexual in the past month, and she seemed to radiate a newborn confidence. He admired her for that, and so, he accepted her smile, made it ten times warmer, and returned it with all his heart, as he shook her hand.

Seokjin's knee bounced up and down like a popcorn kernel in one of those glass boxes at the movies. He wasn't even a tiny bit nervous about the public speaking part of things. He just didn't have a single word prepared. Not even a letter scribbled on a cue card. He buried his face in his hands, knee still bouncing. 

Namjoon was sort of right. Although Seokjin was convinced his aegyo could heal a physical wound, but he wasn't sure how his aegyo could help him in a situation like this. Seokjin cursed. He looked like a mess, unusually. Abandoning Ms. Kwon's advice, he got up, and exited the gym, running off to the bathroom, even though he had no idea where it was.

Seokjin let his aching feet take him to wherever he felt was right, and overtime, after running around the school several times, he found the bathroom. He dove inside, heading straight for the mirror.

"Kim Seokjin," He said to his reflection. "You're perfect and everyone adores you."

And, to his relief, both his reflection and himself seemed to relax. But he took the liberty to compliment himself a little more, just for the extra reassurance.

"You're the prettiest man alive and-" He was cut off abruptly by a sharp breath, originating from somewhere behind him. Startled, the chef whipped around. He heard it, again and again, and with each sharp breath, it turned into a sob that racked the entire bathroom. "Oh, my god, oh, my god, oh my god."

For a second, Seokjin wanted to bolt out of that bathroom at once, to avoid whoever was inside and their pain. But that couldn't be right.

Seokjin had to do something. Anything.

Seokjin ran up to each stall, banging on the door, the checking for a pair of feet on the floor, before he went to the next stall and did the same. After five or so tries, he finally managed to find the source of the crying.

"Hello?" He called out. "Are you okay?"

Right after those three cursed words escaped his lips, Seokjin silently cussed himself out. Although that phrase was meant to make someone feel better, it was always annoying to have to hear it. Seokjin didn't mind it at all, but many people did, and despised the three word phrase. 

He could hear the sobs being suppressed, and he could tell that whoever was inside crying was trying to wipe them away and force a smile. The thought of it broke his heart. Seokjin was a man of courage, and to him, courage meant expressing your feelings with no fear. He didn't believe for a second that the boy inside was at fault. He knew what society was like.

The boy inside was just cracking from the pressure.

So Seokjin stole a roll of toilet paper from the next stall, and carefully, slipped under the gap between the stall door and the floor, trying not to touch the disgusting ground. He was about to say something, but instead, he decided it was better to let the boy wipe his tears away. Seokjin ripped a few squares of the flimsy material off the roll and used it to pat the boy's splotchy cheeks dry.

"It's absolutely fine not to be okay," Seokjin said after a minute of drying up the tears, as he watched the boy's cheeks return to their normal color. "What's your name, kid?"

The student coughed and wiped his nose before sputtering out his name.

"Jimin," He said. To the chef's surprise, Jimin's voice was soft and soothing, despite him crying just now. "Park Jimin."

"Chef Kim Seokjin," Seokjin introduced himself. "But since I'm the most generous person on the planet, I'll let you call me Seokjin."

Jimin looked up, unsure whether Seokjin was joking or not. Seokjin simply shrugged. 

"Ah, shit." Seokjin muttered, not exactly minding his language. "I'm gonna be late. I'm supposed to give an entire speech today."

Jimin looked up at the chef, raising an eyebrow, as Seokjin continued to talk to himself. Seokjin chuckled.

"But you see," He continued. "I don't have a word prepared."

"Why don't you wing it?" Jimin asked quietly. "You already seem confident enough. Damn you."

Jimin's usually kind voice descended into a low growl as he cursed Seokjin.

"Pardon?" 

"Nothing."

"Okay, kid." Seokjin said, offering his hand. "I've gotta go, anyways. And since I'm a responsible adult, you're coming with me."

And since Seokjin didn't give Jimin any real choice, Jimin took Seokjin's hand, shook it well, and they walked to the gymnasium side by side.