Idol Soulmate | Jinkook AU✔️

16

When Jungkook walks into the restaurant, he gets the same sense of relief as always. Something in his heart releases like tension in a rubber band being let loose, and his lips curve into a smile as he thinks about —Chef Jin— the delicious food he's going to order.

He orders some beef and relaxes back in his chair. There's only three or four other tables that are occupied, mostly with couples or a family having dinner together. Jungkook tries not to think about his lack of companion— other than the bodyguard who's standing by the wall now.

He'd decided to be bold and asked the waitress to have the chef himself deliver his food out to him. But now that he's done that, he's sitting impatiently at his table, thinking of a million ways this could go wrong or how he could fail their interaction. What if Chef Jin gets angry at him for asking to see him personally? The restaurant doesn't seem too busy, but it's still no excuse for Jungkook to ask for him to leave his position– shit, why did he ask that?

"Jungkookie oppa!!"

The sudden screech from what sounds like a teenage girl rings in his ears, making his skin jump and he immediately turns his head to where a girl in her school uniform is running up to him with a napkin and pen in her hand. She looks excited and Jungkook can hardly focus as she begs for him to sign the napkin.

He hates to cause a disturbance in the restaurant, so he tries to quickly sign and thank her for listening to his music, but she hovers around for a beat too long, trying to start conversation after conversation.

Jungkook doesn't like to ignore his fans or brush them off. He does, however, begin to look at other things around his table instead of looking at her, hoping that maybe she will disappear if he simply cannot see her.

A part of him is glad that his manager bought him tape to go over his skin right where his wrist is, and he's also glad that his makeup artists are so good that he can hardly tell Kim Seokjin is covered up. The teenager keeps glancing at his wrist every time he so much as moves a muscle, being nosey.

"Excuse me," he hears a now familiar voice speak up. Jungkook looks up with hopeful eyes, staring into Chef Jin's soul. Jin glances at him, and then to the girl. "Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to take a seat elsewhere or leave the restaurant. Let this man enjoy his meal."

He presents the plates of amazing-looking food that Jungkook ordered, beginning to place them onto the table as the girl pouts and bows to take her leave, scurrying off with her signed napkin held close to her chest.

"Thank you," Jungkook says quietly. "For telling her to leave and also for the food as well. It looks delicious, Chef Jin."

The chef turns his head curiously at him. "Oh? Am I Chef Jin now?" he asks as he sets the last plate down. Jungkook does a little shrug.

"It's easier to differentiate between you and Chef Kim that way," he tells him. "If you don't like it, though, I could always call you something else." He looks the older right in the eyes as he says, "I can call you whatever you want me to, Chef."

Jungkook sucks in his lower lip, chewing nervously on it as he watches Jin avert his eyes and blink a few times, clearly taken aback.

"Y-You can call me whatever you want to, Jungkook-ssi."

He doesn't miss the way Jin's ears begin to turn red– bright red– and he thinks it's so cute, how easily flustered he gets. Jungkook was nervous, but now he feels more confident than ever.

"Good to know. Thanks."

"I should- uh- get back to work," Jin manages to say. He clears his throat and quickly bows, which only allows Jungkook to see the top of his red ears. "Enjoy your meal."

He hurries off and as Jungkook begins eating, he thinks about making Jin blush a million times more just because he'd love to see it. It's a strange feeling, how his heart feels like a blossoming flower just at the thought of him.

~~~