Chapter 10 | Jealous?
[Y/N]
I was sitting at a booth in Bangtan Restaurant and Cafe. For some reason, Eunwoo said he had something important to talk to me about. And since we hadn't really caught up after I got out of prison, I couldn't wait to have a day with one of my oldest friends. So I was sitting and waiting as I looked through my phone.
I still had some pain in my arm, but for the most part, it was healed. Someone cleared their throat, causing me to look up from my phone. It was Seokjin. I smiled brightly at the older Hybrid.
"Seokjin-ssi-"
"Ah, ah," he said shaking his finger. "Call me oppa. Seokjin-ssi is what I expect my business partners and strangers to call me. You're basically family."
"Sorry, Seokjin oppa," I said with a chuckle. "I didn't know you were in today."
"I don't have a fixed work schedule. I just pop in when I want," Seokjin said with a smile. "Why? Did you not want me around?"
"No way," I said with a smile. "It's nice seeing you again."
"So, are you here alone?" Seokjin asked me.
"No, I'm waiting for someone," I said with a small smile.
"Oh?" Seokjin's eyebrow raised looking at me suspiciously.
"Y/N-ah!" I heard Eunwoo's voice. Causing me to turn my attention away from Seokjin and towards the Hybrid that was smiling brightly and waving at me, making his way towards the booth I was sitting in. I smiled brightly and waved back at my childhood friend.
"Seokjin oppa, meet Eunwoo. He works with Jimin-ie and Namjoon-ie oppa at the station," I said with a smile.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Eunwoo-ssi," Seokjin said, in a rather strained voice. I looked at him strangely.
"Eunwoo-ah, this is Seokjin oppa, he's Jimin and Namjoon oppa's mate," I introduced Seokjin to Eunwoo.
"Ah yes, nice to finally meet you Seokjin-ssi," Eunwoo said extending his hand for a handshake. "I heard a lot about you from Jimin-ssi and Namjoon-ssi."
Seokjin grabbed Eunwoo's hand for a handshake and I could swear I could see lasers coming out of Seokjin's eyes. Which was very rare for him. Eunwoo was just looking at Seokjin amused. Which didn't make any sense to me at all. After what seemed to be a decade, they finally let go of their hands. Eunwoo took a seat across from me, having a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Eunwoo.
"Nothing," he responded with a smile.
"I'll come back to take your orders," Seokjin said flashing me a warm smile.
"Thanks, oppa," I responded. He gave me a nod, ignored Eunwoo, and walked back towards the kitchen.
"Interesting," Eunwoo muttered under his breath.
"What do you mean?" I asked, catching what he said.
"Nothing," he said with a chuckle.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. I knew that Eunwoo was a stubborn Hybrid and learned not to push him for answers since it was only going to be my blood pressure that was going to rise. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"How much longer are you going to wear your Scent Blockers?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
"Where is all this coming from?" I asked, slightly taken aback by his question.
"I remember when you first started putting them on, you said that it was going to be a temporary thing until you can get past your trauma," he said, looking at me with concern. I couldn't help but look away and not meet his gaze. "It's been more than 10 years. I'm getting worried."
"I know," I responded with a sigh, my voice quiet. "I just... can't. I'm pathetic aren't I?"
He put his hand over mine. "No, you're not. You're the bravest person I know," he said sincerely.
A loud cough caused Eunwoo and me to look up at the source. It was Seokjin. He was looking at Eunwoo, with a slightly annoyed look. "Ready to order?" He asked us.
I could tell that Eunwoo was trying to hold back a laugh as he quickly took his hand off of mine. He quickly nodded and ordered his favourite food. Seokjin turned to look at me, with kinder eyes. I smiled. "Do you want the same thing as last time?" He asked me.
"Sure," I said with a nod. Seokjin smiled brightly at me before walking back to the kitchen. I couldn't help but wonder about Seokjin's strange emotions today.
"Is he normally like that?" Eunwoo asked, motioning to Seokjin, who had now disappeared into the kitchen.
"No," I said with a frown. "He's usually really chill. Maybe he's just having a bad day."
He hummed, a knowing hum. I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you think it's about time you stop using your Scent Blockers?" he asked, completely changing the topic.
"Stop asking me about that," I groaned as I placed my forehead on the table.
"I have to," he argued. "What if you miss your mates because your stubborn ass won't stop putting those damn blockers on?"
"Okay," I said snapping my head back up and looking at him with an exasperated look. "One, I might not even have a Hybrid mate. My significant other might be a Human. Have you ever thought about that? And two, you told me that mates can sense each other so it shouldn't matter if I have Scent Blockers on or not."
"The sensing thing only works with Hybrids and still many Hybrids are slow to pick it up. You're not a Hybrid, you won't be able to sense your mates," he argued back. "Besides, mates are like a sacred thing for us Hybrids. We feel complete when we find all of our mates. And scents are very important to us, being able to scent each other is the very foundation of bonding with our mates."
"Can we please not talk about this?" I asked, slightly getting uncomfortable.
"You don't want to find your mates do you?" He asked me.
"I-" I hesitated. "I do, but look at my life. I'm a felon. A two-time felon. The next time I go to prison, I might have to spend a decade or at least a few years. I can't do that to my mate."
"So? Turn your life around," he said rather simply. I gave him a look. "What?"
"I have a record. I'm not going to be able to get a job," I deadpanned.
"Well, your vigilantism isn't exactly paying your bills either," he pointed out.
"Touché," I responded with a roll of my eyes. Then I let out a sigh, "I'll think about it."
"Good," Eunwoo said with a nod. "You know I only want the best for you right?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Really, you were there for me when no one else was... well you and Sungjae, but still," he said with a chuckle.
"You two look like you're getting along," Seokjin said a slight venom coating his words. He placed our food in front of us. I looked at him confused.
I opened my mouth to respond but Eunwoo beat me to it. "Well, we have known each other since we were in diapers," he said with a mischievous smirk.
"Oppa is everything okay?" I asked, looking up at the tall Hybrid. He looked down at me and let out a sigh.
"I don't know," he said. "I just... I'm just- stressed I guess."
"Do you want to sit down?" I asked, shimmying over to make room for Seokjin. He smiled at my gesture but shook his head. "You sure?"
"Yeah," he said with a smile that I knew well.
"Thanks for the food, oppa," I said with a smile.
"Enjoy," he said before leaving Eunwoo and me to have our food.
"Are you in contact with Sungjae?" Eunwoo suddenly asked me.
"Of course I am," I responded, my eyes focused on the food in front of me.
"Do you think you can give me his number?"
"Nope," I said popping the 'p'.
"Why not?" He groaned.
"Because your a cop and Sungjae is a hacker. I'm not helping Sungjae get caught and thrown into prison," I said in a 'duh' tone.
"I'm not going to get him thrown into prison," he retorted.
"Yeah, because a detective like you has a job for an illegal hacker like him," I scoffed. "Even if I gave you his number, he's not going to answer your calls. He was pissed the last time he went to prison."
"Hey, I didn't mean to arrest him," he defended himself with a pout.
"I know, but he's still sour over it," I said with a shrug.
The rest of the 'date' was very chill. We just caught up on what our lives were like. I found out that he found his final mate when I was in prison. We also reminisced about our past. Still, I couldn't get Seokjin's strange behaviour out of my head, worried for the older Hybrid.
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