BLUE | ᴛᴀᴇᴊɪɴ ✔

15 | R _I 진

"How old are you?", Taehyung asked.

"Twenty-nine", Seokjin replied.

"You look younger. I'm twenty-five. What should I call you?", Taehyung asked.

"Seokjin. Don't add something that will make me feel old". Seokjin said; they laughed at it.

"Seokjin, what are we?", Taehyung looked at him intently waiting for an answer.

For a second Seokjin looked at him blankly but laughed the next second, "Teacher and Student".

Taehyung frowned but after a moment he too started laughing.

When they were back to normal, Seokjin continued, "If you're asking as a friend, then, I like you"

"Then I like you too, as a friend", Taehyung's expression was blank when he replied.

But Seokjin could see through it and what he realized made him really happy. He got up and ran towards the water.

The water came slightly above his ankles and he was smiling widely.

"Why are you so happy?", Taehyung asked.

"Do you need a reason to be?", Taehyung heard Seokjin say as he was walking towards Seokjin.

Just when Taehyung was about a meter away from Seokjin, he splashed water on Taehyung a few times and started laughing.

Seokjin was busy laughing and Taehyung took the opportunity to grab Seokjin trying to make him fall. But Seokjin grabbed Taehyung's shirt and both of them fell together into the water, laughing.

"We look like small kids, don't we?", Taehyung said as they stood up. Seokjin just smiled and walked closer to Taehyung, stopping a few centimeters from him. Taehyung saw Seokjin's eyes glued to his waist and his gentle fingertips slightly below it. Taehyung froze for a second.

"What are you looking at?", he asked Seokjin.

Finally, Seokjin made eye contact with Taehyung; his eyes looked sad, almost sympathetic. Being confused, Taehyung looked down to his waist. He realized what Seokjin was looking at; the ribs, that were visible.

There was worry in Seokjin's voice, "You aren't-"

Taehyung interrupted as he held Seokjin's hand, taking it away from his waist, "Don't look at it as if I have some sort of eating disorder. I am eating and sleeping like a normal person now, unlike before. But things like this do take time, right? It will take some time to gain some weight."

Seokjin smiled, "Yes. I believe you."

They walked back to the previous place and it looked as if Seokjin was about to leave. He looked back at Taehyung, "Can we have food together, tonight?"

Taehyung was surprised, "Why? Is there going to be some philosophy lesson related to it?"

"Yes. But maybe you'll also get to know something about me"

"About you? Yes, seems like a good idea", Taehyung was happy and curious. He really wanted to know about Seokjin.

"Great! I'll be waiting for you, after an hour", Seokjin said as he gave his phone to Taehyung. "Can we exchange numbers?"

"No", Taehyung said as he typed in his number on Seokjin's phone. Seokjin smiled as he took his phone back.

---------------------------

Taehyung saw that Seokjin was already waiting for him.

"Where are we going?", he asked as he walked over to Seokjin.

"You'll see", Seokjin replied.

After a minute Taehyung asked, "Where do you work?"

"Do you think that I'll tell you?"

Taehyung sighed, Why do I even try?

Seokjin pointed ahead to a small cafe. Taehyung realized that he had walked by there many times without really noticing it.

When they were almost there, Taehyung read the name RJ Cafe. What is RJ?, he thought

"This is where I work", Seokjin said.

"So you're RJ?"

"If you put Jin in Korean, sideways, it resembles RJ", Seokjin explained.

"Jinius! So you're the manager?"

Seokjin nodded and knocked on the door. A waiter opened it. "Come in!", he said enthusiastically, as if welcoming them to his home. And when Taehyung saw it, it did look like a home. It wasn't very fancy but it seemed really comfortable.

They sat at a table.

After a minute, that same waiter approached them. With a smile, he placed the two plates in front of them, serving Seokjin first, then Taehyung. Taehyung looked at Seokjin's grin. "Ah! Delicious", Seokjin exclaimed. Looking at the reaction, Taehyung looked down, at his plate. There, before him, on a white plate, were a piece of sliced radish and a strip of cabbage. Taehyung stared at it in dismay.

At Taehyung's expression, Seokjin burst out laughing and clapping and the waiter had to hold the table while he too was laughing. Taehyung sighed with relief, "It's just a joke, then".

Without another word, the waiter picked up the plates and came back with two beautiful wooden bowls. Taehyung had expected it to be like a cake or something like it . But it was different. There were various ingredients. A blended combination of cantaloupe and melon, small chunks of individually carved walnuts and almonds, apples and thin slices of cheese, icing of yogurt, and a ring of strawberries. Taehyung really felt like eating it, but he took a moment to stare at it. All those ingredients were perfectly carved into each bowl to a miniature replica of some sort of scenery.

"It's too beautiful, I can't eat this", Taehyung said and took a picture of it on his phone. Whereas, Seokjin, he noticed, had already begun eating.

Taehyung started eating too.

For the past few years, he had been eating food just for the sake of living and satisfying his hunger. But since the past few days, it had changed a bit. Like right now, eating didn't feel like something he did just for the sake of the taste or for the feeling of being full. He enjoyed the entire process –the hunger that he feel beforehand, the careful preparation, setting an attractive table.

And he had a feeling of lightness and energy after the meal. He regretted all the times when he hadn't appreciated the simple meals.