Byeol and Jackson meet up with some old friends
"It'll be fine. We're just going to grab lunch." Jackson said. He had invited Byeol out to lunch with him and some mutual friends. Though Byeol was getting better little by little, she was still wary about going out. She still felt like she needed to look over her shoulder. Her mind still telling her about the impending danger.
"I know. I'll be fine, Jacks. Don't worry." He smiled and returned his eyes to the road. A few minutes later, they were pulling up to small restaurant just outside of the city. "This is cute!" She said, jumping out of the car. Jackson smiled at her, coming around the car. "The food is good too. C'mon, they're inside waiting."
Byeol's eyes lit up at the sight of her friends that she hasn't been able to see in a while. "Shownu-oppa!" She squealed, running up to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug and he blushed a little, but hugged her back. "Hey there. It's been a while." She smiled and took the seat next to him.
Namjoon was there too and some other people that she wasn't exactly close with but knew them because they used to train together. They enjoyed their lunch, chatting and catching up. Byeol heard the door for their private section open and she held her breath. It was him. Of all places he could have gotten a job, why was it here?
She stiffened, not making eye contact. Jackson looked ready to murder someone, but was trying to be polite. However, it didn't go unnoticed by their friends. Shownu bumped his leg against her. "Wanna step outside for a minute?" She nodded, grateful to get out. She felt like she was suffocating at the moment.
"I'm going to talk to the owner." Jackson said, standing up. He gently squeezed her shoulder and she nodded, offering him a weak smile. "We'll go somewhere else. I'm sorry. I didn't know." He said quietly and Byeol shook her head. "I—no. It's fine. I'm fine. Just see if we can get a different server?" Jackson nodded, giving her shoulder another quick squeeze before he was off to find the owner.
Shownu stood up, offering everyone a smile as he helped a slightly shaking Byeol stand up. "We're just going to step out for a second, we'll be right back. Order whatever you want. I'll pay today." The others hooted and hollered at the mention of free food. Namjoon raised a brow; he'd always been more intuitive than the rest. Byeol offered him a smile as Shownu gently led her outside.
"I thought he had a restraining order?" Shownu asked once they were outside. Byeol shrugged, leaning against Jackson's car. "That was the only thing JYP really did. But also, I don't keep tabs so I had no clue he was working here." Shownu sighed, leaning on the car next to her. "Are you alright?"
He could see her hands trembling, could see how she was trying her best to keep the internal panic at bay. "Hey," he grabbed her hand and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You're doing great. You're really strong. And if you need me too—I'll beat him up." She laughed at that.
Shownu definitely had the muscle and body to intimidate anyone. But she knew he was just a giant teddy bear. He wouldn't actually hurt anyone. It was nice though, to see him care that much about her. She squeezed his hand, leaning into his side like it was the most normal thing in the world. And for Byeol, it was. She was an attentive person.
She liked skin ship, she liked to show she cared for others through acts of love rather than saying it. For Shownu however, this was sort of new. It wasn't his members leaning into his side, it was another girl. Taking away the fact that they're idols and in total view of the public, he wasn't used to this. And it showed as his face turned bright red.
He didn't make an attempt to move away though. He liked it, actually. "How have you been doing? Jackson doesn't tell us much. Which is a good thing." He was blubbering and he knew it, but he needed to say something. She only sighed, shrugging. "Because Jackson doesn't know everything."
Shownu raised a brow. "He knows like what happened and the things that happened. He doesn't know that Jaebeom has been taking me to see someone. A professional. To talk to about it. None of them do. I wanted to see how it went first." Shownu nodded. "And how is it going?"
She shrugged again, laying her cheek on his arm. "Fine, I guess. It's hard and I don't want to burden them. But sometimes I just really need to talk or cuddle. But I know if it's just random they'll know something is going on." She sighed and Shownu bit the inside of his cheek.
"You can always call me. We don't have to talk about it. But I can off my diet one day for bad food and just acting like teenagers." She looked up at him with a small smile. "I like the sound of that. Maybe I'll take you up on that." He nodded, his ears turning red. He wasn't usually this up front. "We can—uhm—I l-like to cuddle too."
Byeol felt her cheeks heat up a little but she couldn't suppress the laugh that left her mouth when she looked up to see Shownu's eyes wildly looking everywhere but her and his face as red as tomato. She linked their arms together, pulling him back towards the restaurant. "You're cute. But I'll remember that." She winked and laughed again as his eyes widened a little and face got even redder.
Once they sat back down, Shownu sat a little closer, eyes alert. Jackson smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up and she felt relieved. The rest of their lunch went smoothly and Byeol found herself relaxing more and more. At some point when they had first come back in, she had reached under the table and latched on to Shownu's hand. He hadn't let go. And now it was nearing the end of their lunch.
Their hands were still entwined with each other's.
