Frozen Grapes | KSJ ✔

.one.

Sometimes, I try to imagine what life would be like without taste buds. Because if you think about it, if you really think about it, what even is the point of having them anymore? At this point, humans have come to the point where they are mostly aware of what to eat and what not to eat for the sake of their survival and optimal health. Does that mean taste buds only exist purely for physical satisfaction? 

It's a strange thought to think about, but it's something that has been on my mind a lot recently, and the questions fly by again as I set the piece of cake down in front of Yuna along with a cup of coffee. One of my closest friends had finally returned to Korea after six months back in America. Yuna had been accepted for her job back here and this time, she was here to stay. 

"Are you not going to have any?" she asks as I take my seat. 

I shake my head and laugh. "I can have as many as I want whenever I want. I'll be okay." 

Quite literally. It was a fact that had been haunting me ever since I graduated out of university and started helping my dad run his cafe. 

Yuna takes a bite of her cake. Her eyes flutter shut and her frame visibly relaxes, allowing the flavors to consume her. 

Yuna was beautiful. Nothing about her physical features stood out significantly. Or maybe they did. It was hard to tell because the aura and energy she emitted always seemed to make everyone overlook anything they could see and start to focus on how she made them feel. The atmosphere of positivity and intelligence she would always carry with her acted as a magnet for other people, causing everyone to always be drawn to her and want to be her friend. 

After six months in America, this magnet seemed to have somehow grown stronger. Her personality made everyone feel insecure in the best way possible. I had missed her. She was truly one in the billions of humans inhabiting this planet. 

"Speak, Kang Yuna," I demand. "I haven't seen you in six entire months. Tell me everything." 

Yuna hurriedly takes one more bite of the cake as if she was running short of time on her lifespan. "I've been great," she starts. "Finally finished university so hallelujah. Applied for a job here and actually got in so there's that. My life has been really boring, trust me. I'm just glad to be with you again." 

I cup my face with my hands and adjust my muscles to give her the cute expression I knew had an effect on everyone. "I know. How irresistable am I?" 

Yuna laughs, increasing the bar of her beauty a couple hundred notches. Her voice was lower and huskier than most girls which only added to the appeal and made her stand out. Where most other girls in Korea would do everything to give them that feminine image, Yuna was unafraid to maximize the potential of what she already had. It was a skill I envied daily. 

I eye the bottom half of her long hair which had been dyed silver a few months ago while she had been dating her ex. "Do you want to get that redyed?" I ask as I point. 

I knew that being back in Korea would only bring her memories of the past, and if she wanted to move on, she needed to let that part go. Cutting her hair would be a small act, but it would be another step closer to living in the moment and only facing forward towards the future. 

Yuna bites her lip as she thinks. I can see the mental debate she holds with herself in her mind and her eyes firmly turn to mine, already telling me her decision. "Yes," she replies confidently. 

I give her a smile, proud that she was ready to leave the past behind her. I open my mouth to say more, but the words die as they travel up my throat when I see Yuna turn into a block of ice. Her eyes are locked on something behind me so I turn around to see what had caught her attention. 

My eyes land on two tall figures standing at the doorway, giving us similar expressions of surprise. The first one I notice meets my eyes with his, although that's the only feature I can barely make out. Broad shoulders cause his jacket to frame down, and the rest of his baggy clothes cover the rest of his physique. The man turns to say something to his friend beside him who is also covered up from head to toe. I can't recognize either man, but with the outfits of both of them and Yuna's reaction, I already know the status at least one of them holds. 

Kim Namjoon: leader of the most popular boy band in the world and Yuna's ex. I turn around slowly to face Yuna who is still in a state of shock. "Do you want me to do something?" I ask quietly. 

Yuna shakes her head slowly, almost as if hypnotized or in some sort of trance, until she finally switches her gaze over to me. "Just let them quietly leave." 

I nod. Namjoon was part of her past. No matter how hard I shipped the two of them, no matter how perfectly the two seemed to match each other and balance each other out, things clearly didn't work out with them for a reason, and if Yuna was determined to move on, then I could only support her. 

The two of us awkwardly sit in our seats, afraid to make further conversation until the two men leave. If that was Namjoon, then the man next to him was probably one of his members. I can almost see the dark cloud of tension between Namjoon and Yuna. If this was awkward and time was moving by slowly for me, I can't imagine how Yuna must be feeling. 

Finally, the two men collect their drinks and move out of my peripheral vision. I notice Yuna close to relaxing until she stiffens up again. When her hands move up for her face to bury into, I'm about to ask what had happened until I feel a presence kneel beside me. 

"Hi." 

The soft, melodic voice in my ear raises goosebumps along my arms and it takes a moment to process the single word. My head turns to meet my confronter. 

The man I had only seen the eyes of has now pulled down his mask to rest under his chin. The cap shadows his face, but with the cloth covering gone, I can make out the rest of his features. 

I forget how to breathe. 

Kneeling beside me is the most attractive man I've ever seen in my life. A seemingly perfectly symmetrical face stares up at me. Almond eyes are filled with concern for his friend while full lips pull up into a small smile. 

"Hi," I breathe out in a whisper. 

Kim Seokjin. Kneeling in front of me was Kim Seokjin. I feel bad for making him uncomfortable with my staring and I remind myself to breathe and to blink. 

"Do you mind stepping away for a bit?" he asks, keeping his voice low. "I think Namjoon wants to talk to her." 

My eyes shift to the left as I think and then turn back to Yuna who is staring at me, already having connected the dots. A short conversation couldn't hurt, and knowing Yuna's personality, she would be much more at ease if she had this opportunity for closure. I adjust my glasses and look over at Seokjin again to nod. "I'm sorry, Yuna," I say before standing up, knowing she would hate me for this in the moment. 

Yuna reaches out and clings onto my wrist. "Please don't do this," she begs. 

I gently grab her hand and force my wrist out of her grasp before giving her a silent smile and following Seokjin. He leads us to another table to the side and I glance over my shoulder quickly to spot Namjoon taking my former seat. I sit down at the table and Seokjin does the same across me. 

"I'm Kim Seokjin, by the way. In case you didn't know." 

I bow to him in greeting. "Kim Hana. It's nice to meet you."

//

SOJBNAORJNGBOIRN I really really struggled writing this story but I'm excited to share. 

For those that don't know, Yuna and Namjoon's story is explained in my story Just as Friends, so if you want to check out their background, it's on my profile.