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Part 5: The Present (December)

Walking around the retail store, you feel glad that this year, you can buy presents for every single one of your friends and family, even if they hadn't asked you too. The festive season has crept up on you and a rush of positivity rushes through you, knowing your kindness should make them smile.

For your parents, you have bought them each a special piece of jewelry with 'mum' and 'dad' engraved and for your younger siblings, a bundle of games and dvds you managed to put together at a reasonable cost. As for each of your close friends, now including your work mates Yoongi and Hoseok as well as Y/f/n, you have a bottle of their favourite drink and favourite chocolates.

Jin however is a different situation. It's been sort of bugging you for a while now, but it feels like he's been avoiding you... Okay, maybe not exactly avoiding, but he always seems to be working, even more than yourself, so when you get to chill out with friends, he's never part of the crew, he's still in the restaurant cooking for people. Of course, you have bought him the same kind of gift you have for your friends but you can't help but feel you want to give him something more.

That day you spoke to him a bit harshly on shift comes to mind as a potential reason for his distance, but if you are completely honest to yourself, he was slightly hypocritical when he can't tell his own parents to give him a break... Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly forcing the new kitchen staff to get a move on that day and he looked as knackered as ever...

You arrive at the card store, hands full of shopping, ready to get cards and paper for everyone now. There is so much choice, you struggle to choose just a few out of all the pretty rolls of wrapping paper, or the best card for each person you hold dear; you're glad you've chosen not to leave Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve this year like you always do... okay, it's not exactly the 1st of December, but it's an improvement and there's time!

You almost reach the queue when some pretty ribbons catch your eye and you think something like this would be the perfect finish for your thoughtful gifts, so you continue to browse through the store.

You become disoriented for a moment when you hear a voice behind you.

"How about this one?"

A familiar voice.

"I think this one makes me look pretty, don't you think?"

You don't even need to turn around to know who it is.

"Jin? What are you doing here?"

A beautiful image meets you: a smiling Jin placing a sparkly pink bow onto his head and placing his other hand under his chin to act cute... and he succeeds you mentally note... Noted right under the list of other things he's done to make you feel that mushy way you're trying to avoid.

"I'm on a break so I thought I'd walk around town a bit and I saw you come in here... So what do you think? Or should we use purple?" He asks, grabbing another ribbon and leaving it on his head.

You think it's good to see he hasn't lost his sense of fun after all the work he's been putting himself through; if y/f/n thought you were a bit of a try hard, constantly studying unnecessarily, she probably thinks Jin lives at the bloody place and cooks in his sleep... technically, he does live there of course, it's a family restaurant situated underneath a maisonette, but you know, y/f/n probably thinks he has a secret bed in the kitchen under the sink or something.

"Huh?" you question him, confused as to why he's asking how the ribbon suits him rather than the wrapping paper

"Well, we're gonna want me to be wrapped up all prettily when I am given as a present of course."

He says 'of course' but I really don't understand what on earth he is talking about right now, you think to yourself

"I don't understand, how are you a present?" you ask. "People can't own other people..." you grab one of the rolls of paper under your arm, and tap him on the shoulder with it. "Who are you giving yourself to?"