Veautiful Days

Blue: For Us 7 (AU)

"This isn't working."

From an outdoor chaise lounger on a balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Jennie speaks these words towards her phone. Tae, on the other end of the video chat, brings his head forward from his bed's headboard to peer at the screen. The couple haven't seen each other in person for two months now. 

After Jennie's quarantine was over, she still tested positive for COVID due to complications with the treatment. Her health had improved over the last few days but her father insisted she stay in Los Angeles with him for further monitoring. Plus they knew with South Korea's strict laws during the pandemic, Jennie would be confined to isolation in a bedroom for a long period of time in her mom's house anyway.

Tae and Jennie tried the long-distance dating route with texts, calls, and video chats whenever they had time and whenever the large time difference allowed them. Tae shared with her BTS' busy schedule of promoting their Japanese album and Jennie shared all the sightseeing she had done when she felt well enough to go outside. Her step-mom, Mary, even brought her to her workplace at Universal Studios where she worked in the wardrobe department.

On this cool day in early February, Jennie looks out at the panoramic view of the picture perfect beach in front of her dad's mansion and holds her phone above her head in the air, trying to gain better reception for the call. She sighs contently at the scenery outside, the sun marvelous on her skin, but a bit frustrated that the call keeps dropping.

Trying the call a third time, Tae, looking fluffy and comfy wearing a fuzzy white sweater with black Louis Vuitton logos on it, appears on the screen. His expression turns serious, as if contemplating something and having a hard time coming to a decision.

"Jennie, I want to talk to you," he says, his brows furrowed.

"You are talking to me," she responds with a sly smile.

"I mean...I want to ask you something."

Tae thinks back to the last few months and the hurdles their relationship has had to endure: the secret dating, the sasaeng behavior, and the termination of her job at BigHit. When he takes in the view of Jennie in her patio chair, stress free in an environment she had been wanting to experience in her young life, he has the urge to ask her if the words "this isn't working" has a double meaning.

Because when he heard her say that, he initially thought she was referring to their relationship. Perhaps Jennie thought it wasn't working and she'd rather not do the long distance dating, but instead stay in America. Perhaps she liked it better in LA because the stress she experienced in Seoul was too much to handle. And that scared him. But he understood. Even though he quickly realized that she was talking about the status of the video chat, the fact that his mind went directly to their relationship proved to him that he was afraid she was having doubts. 

The truth was, even though he still loved Jennie, he didn't want to get in her way of living her best life.

"Do you...do you think..." Tae hesitates to continue. "Do you like being in Los Angeles? Are you happy?"

A silent beat. "Yeah. But I miss you."

"Because when you said 'this isn't working' I thought maybe...you were talking about us."

"Oh." Jennie takes a deep breath of the salty air and composes herself. "I meant the call. I really will come back to Seoul soon. It's just that...my dad wants me to be 100% healthy. And Mary wants to show me around one more time. Possibly even work with her since the film industry is opening up again." Her eyes flicker around the spacious outdoor balcony. "But...why do you ask? Do you think this isn't working?"