EATJIN! | KSJ & PJM

- what am i to you -

Seokjin jabbed the key into the lock, twisting it wildly, then yanking it out. His eyes stung. Cooking would probably make it worse, with all the spices and flavors mixing around. He briefly recalled the time where Jungkook had accidentally gotten pepper in his eye while trying to season a dish. 

Even that memory wasn't enough to make him crack a smile.  He tugged the handle downwards and flung the restaurant door open, sending the bells at the door into a harsh, swinging jingle. He slammed it behind him.

The lights were off; but he could faintly make out the glimmer of the untouched kitchen knives in an array on the other side of the room. He tossed the keys onto one of the tables, and flicked on a set of lights. He walked straight into the kitchen, and plucked an apple out of the fruit bowl. 

The phone in his back pocket was still bare of any new calls or messages.

Though no one could know about the earlier spat, Seokjin still felt a heavy weight on his chest. He needed a distraction. His hands needed to be making something, or he needed to be eating something, or just doing anything in general.

He dragged himself over to the sink, and rinsed the apple off, before taking a huge bite of it. 

"Ah," Seokjin whined, glancing at the apple in his hand. It had a chunk taken out of it now, but the sticker had been ripped in half. "I ate a sticker!" With a groan, he spat it out.

It didn't seem evident things were going to work out for him any time soon.

"You're being ridiculous," Namjoon said, eyebrows knit tightly. "God, I knew you would-"

"Knew I would what?" Seokjin inquired, edging closer to him. His eyes were shining again, dangerously bright. "Care to elaborate?"

Namjoon bit the inside of his cheek, pursing his lips. His next words had to be carefully calculated, but his short minute of silence had said enough. His heart pounded out of his chest, as he awaited Seokjin's stinging words.

"Oh, you don't want to talk now." Seokjin said, scoffing. Namjoon's fingernails bit into the calloused skin of his palms. "Because you think you're right? Since you knew I'd act up?"

"You are acting up," Namjoon murmured, voice resembling a low, acetous hiss. "That's just what you do."

The words came as a slap in the face to the chef. He'd seen what Namjoon's words could make someone feel, but he never imagined he'd use them against him. The thought that Namjoon could harbor such thoughts against him felt like a lash of a whip across the skin of his back. 

"I act up," Seokjin repeated, nodding. He felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. "I act up. That's just what I do."

"Don't try to make me the bad guy here," Namjoon scowled. He grit his teeth, almost like he was holding something back behind two gates. "Stop being so goddamn dramatic!"

Seokjin shook his head, ripping out another chunk of apple, minus the sticker. He wasn't dramatic. Namjoon was just acting like a know-it-all. Again, if he might add.

"There it is again," Namjoon said. "You're going to blame me."

Stop it, he thought. Shut up. 

Without knowing it, when he zoned back in, the entire apple but it's core had vanished. Not that Seokjin was surprised. He was a stress eater. He didn't doubt the fact that he'd most likely vacuum all of the restaurant's food supply into his seemingly bottomless stomach if he didn't stop eyeing the food. He needed something else. He treated himself to one final cup of instant noodles, and he promised himself it would be the last snack.