Sugar

4. Only a Night

"Well, I guess this is one of those reasons you don't let friends set you up on dating websites," Seokjin grins at me over his menu and I grin back, shaking my head.

"Honestly, I'm never letting her set me up again."

"Ouch, what's so bad about me?"

"No, it's not you!" I catch my mistake too late, laughing, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Seokjin, it's just been a really weird couple of days."

"Yeah, I get that." He smiles at me and we go back to studying our menus in silence, neither of us sure what to say to the other.

"You know, I can always just..." I reach for my purse, uncomfortable. "I mean, neither of us intended to end up with someone we knew, and if we're going to be awkward I don't mind - "

"Hey," Seokjin cuts in gently, setting down his menu. "You know, I'm fine with this."

I let go of my purse slowly, pulling my hands back into my lap. "What do you mean?"

"Why not just eat while we're here?" Seokjin shrugs a little, giving me a smile. "We both came for a date, might as well have one."

I nod hesitantly and he grins a bit. "I mean, unless you want to leave, which I'm totally fine with."

"No," I reply slowly, giving him a smile. "I mean, like you said. It's only a night, and I am hungry."

Seokjin chuckles, taking a sip of his water. "My friend told me this is your favorite restaurant?"

"Yeah, it's the best." I watch the waiter set out the rice and banchan, my mouth watering. "My parents cook like this, and it makes me pretty nostalgic."

Seokjin nods. "I miss food like this, honestly. I don't mind American food, exactly, but I'd take a good kimchi stew any day over a hamburger."

I grin. "Yeah! I feel the same way." I reach for a piece of kimchi, laughing as he accidentally bumps my chopsticks with his while getting a piece. He grins, pushing the dish over to me, and I get a bit, scooping up rice with my chopsticks. "Wait, so you're from Korea, right?"

Seokjin grins. "Well, I think so, but it's entirely possible that my parents lied and I'm actually an alien."

I laugh a bit, shaking my head. "No, it's just that your accent doesn't sound very...Korean."

"I moved here when I was in my mid-teens," Seokjin explains, passing me a dish of spinach. "So I was young enough to get a kind of American way of speaking, but not completely."

"That makes sense." I take a bite of the spinach salad. "Oh, that's really good."

"What are you getting as a main dish? I know some places have specialties and such."

I shake my head. "This place is honestly just all around good. It's a lot of food, though, so be careful what you order or you'll be eating it for weeks."

Seokjin laughs. "Do you want to share something? So that neither of us is stuck with a lot of leftovers?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that." I nod. "What do you want?"

"I'm fine with anything," Seokjin replies and I give him a playful stare.

"Make a decision, I don't do decisions."

He laughs. "Kimchi stew, then. Because we mentioned it earlier."

I flash him a grin. "That's exactly what I wanted."

We wait for the food to arrive, chatting lightly, and it's so weird, just being with a normal guy, the way I don't feel pressured to do anything, to act a certain way. It's been a long time, honestly, since I've been on a date with someone who isn't paying for every smile, but Seokjin is so funny and outgoing that I'm easily able to just be myself as we share the stew with rice, laughing and talking.

"The check, for whenever you're ready." The waitress sets it on the table and I reach for it, giving Seokjin a look as he picks it up first.

"I've got it. It's my fault you were forced to eat with me anyway," I say and he shakes his head.

"You know how many times over my mother would kill me if she found out I didn't pay on a first date?"

"A first date, huh?" I watch as he swipes his credit card and he grins.

"Well, I'm not going to tell my traditional Korean mother that I went on a blind date with a girl that I already coincidentally knew from the women's room on yet another blind date."

I laugh against my will, shaking my head, and Seokjin grins at me, slipping his wallet into his pocket. "You know how you could repay me?"

I hesitate, unsure what he's about to ask, and he chuckles lightly. "You just went completely still. I'm not that kind of guy, Y/n, you caught me hiding in a women's restroom to escape someone."

I laugh a bit, flushing. "Sorry. I just - sorry." I'm used to people expecting more than I'll give them.

"I was just going to suggest I walk you home."

"Oh. That's fine," I reply, still slightly embarrassed, but his smile is warm as he stands, leading the way out of the restaurant.

It's hot outside, humid, a light breeze moving the air just enough to be a comfortable temperature, and we walk slowly down the street, quiet for a bit, neither of us sure what to say.

"So...what do you do for a living?" Seokjin breaks the silence and I blink at the question, suddenly unsure what to reply.

"It's - nothing, really, I just...Uhm, I work part-time." I stumble over the words, avoiding looking in his direction, but I can still see his brow furrows slightly at my words.

"Ah." He's quiet and I feel badly for avoiding the question.

"It's just - " I laugh a little awkwardly. "Uhm, I don't like to talk about it much."

"That's fine, I respect that." Seokjin is quiet again, his head tilting to look off into the distance, and I look down, unsure why I almost want to tell him.

"You know, Y/n, I was actually considering asking you out when we first met," Seokjin tilts his head to catch the light from the setting sun as we walk, his eyes half-lidded with the brightness.

"Really?" I ask him hesitantly and he nods, glancing at me sideways.

"I thought you were interesting. And cute. Plus, your number was written on my hand in permanent marker, so it wasn't exactly easy to forget you."

I laugh a bit. "My apartment is up here on the corner."

He nods, slowing his steps, and I give him a small smile. "Thanks, Seokjin."

"For what?"

For being real. For saying that you would have asked me out even if our friends hadn't set us up on a blind date. "For everything."

"No problem." He gives me a grin, his eyes happy, and I hesitate, getting ready to turn and head inside, before his voice makes me pause.

"What would you think if I asked you to do this again sometime?"

"You mean...another date?"

He nods, giving me a slightly hopeful grin, hesitant.

"I think..." I meet his eyes, smiling a bit.

"I'd like that, Kim Seokjin."