Finest Jin

Dinner Guests

8pm came and went. A text came, apologizing for the delay. I was unsure if this was a relief or if waiting longer would only intensify the butterflies in my stomach. We reviewed the rules; no mention of BTS, refer to both men in honorifics, best manners. All 4 children were clean and nicely dressed...and very excited to meet our guests. This was where the imagined fantasy of my suitor was revealed as reality. 

At 9pm, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to two handsome men bearing gifts. Jin was dressed in a button down collared shirt with a black t-shirt underneath. His dress slacks were carefully pressed and ended in expensive sneakers. He was wearing glasses and holding a bottle of white wine and a bouquet of flowers. Taehyung was in a upscale track suit with a blinged out jacket. He had a headband and his shoes were metallic. Both men were accessorized with earrings, bracelets, a necklace and rings. They bowed to me. 

"Hello, Telly-Nim." I returned the bow. 

"Welcome, gentlemen. Come on in." 

Jin entered, hugging me with his free arm as they passed. Tae hugged me next, lifting me off my feet in the squeeze, then sheepishly apologizing at Jins' rebuke. In one arm was tucked the furry Yeontan, in the other he held up a container of ice cream with a grin sweeter than anything the container could hold. 

"This is the best ice cream!" He praised. "You have to try it."

Shoes off now, we hung coats and moved towards the 4 wide-eyed faces with mouths gaping in awe. 

"These are my children. Cher, Éowynn, Atticus and Brigette, meet Kim SeokJin-Nim and Kim Taehyung-Nim...and Yeontan, of course." I bit my lip to stifle the laughter as the stunned expressions quirked up into dazzled grins. Each bowed respectfully and said nothing. 

"Cher?" Tae tried out the unfamiliar sound, holding his hand out in greetings. He was a pro at engaging people, so I knew they would be just fine. Jin trailed me into the kitchen. He presented me with a lovely bouquet of flowers that smelled good, but not nearly as good as he did.

"Thank you! They are beautiful!" His shy smile outshone the flowers ten fold. "Did you want that chilled or served now?" I gestured to the bottle he had brought. 

"I can pour some now." I pulled three glasses from the cupboard and marvelled at the sight of this beautiful man carefully pouring the wine and then his solid hands delicately handling the fluted glasses. He looked over his shoulder at the children in the living room who were now excitedly ushering Taehyung through the apartment. Yeontan had sniffed, then promptly sought out Thistle hidden beneath my bed. I heard the initial yelp of surprise, then happy yips as the two set to playing. Jin and I met glances and grinned. He passed me a glass. 

"It seems the children are getting along." I joked and he laughed. We clinked the rims in toast, and took a sip as the others disappeared into my bedroom. SeokJin wasted no time in sidling over to me and seizing the opportunity to kiss me quickly but thoroughly. 

"We having wine?" The moment was broken by the impish grin of V peering around the door frame at us. I blushed and Jin grinned. He handed Tae a glass and we all took a sip together. The children had all trotted back into the living room and were beckoning Taehyung to join them. He did and they promptly began hooking his cellphone up to our speakers while he scrolled through his playlists. Shortly after, upbeat tunes were filling the air and Tae started an impromptu dance lesson with the group. I went back to seasoning the steaks and popped them in the broiler. Jin quickly jumped up to help. We sliced up the strawberries for dessert and assembled the shortcake together. I had missed this. Having a partner in simple tasks made them so much more enjoyable. We washed our hands when done and he stole a quick peck on my nose with a dazzling smile. My heart pounded. I was falling for this man. Cher came over to set out plates and cutlery while I began to dish up the food.