A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 6

Although Reader had enjoyed her weekend, which she'd mainly spent with Laura, she felt the weight of Jungkook's continuing distain with each passing encounter. To make herself feel better about their relationship, or to try to kindle his approval, she was working out whenever she could and was eating less and less in an effort to shift a little extra weight for their training sessions.

She knew herself it was futile, and she also wasn't prepared to look to closely at why she was doing all of this. Reader hadn't previously ever altered her behaviour, much less her appearance for anyone. She responded to praise and good humour and had never put herself through the ringer for so little feedback before.

But her new figure pleased her and others around her so, she reasoned, it wasn't all confined to Jungkook's perception. The Cordi Noonas, as they were called, weren't talking to her any more than before but they tutted less and less when dressing her in increasingly small sizes. The boys eyed her approvingly during dance lessons as she moved more and more lithely. Jungkook and their mutual translator seemed the only ones displeased by her efforts.

Over their weekend of shopping, Laura's scrutiny became palpable as she tried to entice Reader to different street food stands as they wandered through Seoul's shopping district. But she had declined, preferring instead to think of how much better she would move if she wasn't sluggish and bloated. Reader had said that, although it was more traditional to exchange gifts of money in Korea, she would like to give the boys presents and so they'd set off in search of the perfect, or at least good gifts for each of them. They sat for a coffee contemplating their purchases towards the end of their second day of outings, avoiding their return to the increasingly tense apartment.

They had decided to give gifts to the boys together which allowed them to double their budget, and to be frank, they didn't have that many ideas. Everything these boys could want for, they would likely be better placed to buy than anyone else in their lives.

For Yoongi, they bought a large leather-bound notebook and a new fountain pen because they knew he liked to write down new lyrics before he laid anything down. For Namjoon, they'd bought a DVD boxset of Black Adder. He had always spoken in interviews about learning English from watching Friends and the girls reasoned that he should have some British English education too.

They had pulled together their budgets for Jimin, Hobi and Tae to buy a dance mat and game for their Nintendo Wii and hoped the boys would let them play too.

"What shall we get for Jin?" Reader asked setting the bags aside. "It's only the 20th tomorrow. We still have a little time if we can't think of anything."

"I actually want to get him a blanket." Said Laura quietly. Reader raised her eyebrows in surprise. Laura fiddled with her napkin, tearing the corner into ever smaller pieces.

"We were just talking the other day and it was just really cold. He said it's always cold on their tours, getting into freezing cars or on the planes. I had my blanket, you know, the kitted one I have, and I gave it to him to keep warm and he said he wished he had one too." She shrugged, continuing her napkin dissection.

Reader gave it a moment before saying, "That sounds... quite intimate."

Laura raised a challenging eye to her. "Well, what are you going to get for Jungkook?" she asked defiantly.

"Oh, I don't know." Reader replied with exasperation. "No matter what I get he'll probably just, you know, burn it or something!"

"No he won't" said Laura soothingly. She seemed a little more forgiving of him today than usual.

"Well, for a start I'll get him about 300 push-ups tomorrow."

Laura smiled and pushed the last biscuit from a plate of three which she'd already eaten two of towards Reader, but she shook her head. "Come on softy. Let's go find Mr Handsome a blanket."