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Word count: 1648
POV: Seokjin
JIN MOVED INTO the kitchen slyly, wanting to avoid a fuss on who should clear up. He was used to doing the dishes and honestly didn't mind.
As he began stacking the dirty dishes on the counter, a strong and pleasant aroma infiltrated his senses. He recognized the familiar scent instantly. Snapping his eyes up, he locked eyes with his beautiful soul mate. She shyly smiled and waved at him. He was starting to notice that his soulmate would get shy whenever she was alone with one of her soul mates. Whenever they were in a group, she was a bit more at ease. He assumed it was because the attention was on her.
He felt his breath catch in his throat. He had waited so long to meet his soul mate and now that she was here and willing to accept the bond, he was at a standstill.
Jin wished he could read her thoughts and discover what she was thinking. Was she nervous about completing the final bond soon? He knew he was. He had made a promise to himself—he would only complete their bond when she wanted to.
"Hi," She murmured in perfect Korean. It was the first time she had spoken in Korean, which surprised him. Had she not spoken in Korean earlier around them because it made her unsure? Nonetheless, he was in awe of her speaking his native language. "I came to help."
Stunned, he blinked for a moment. Then, realizing he was gawking at her, he coughed and blushed. "Oh, uh, sure. Do you want to wash and I'll dry it?"
She smiled at the suggestion. Together, they both got to work. Madeline was so close to him. His fingers twitched to touch her soft skin every time she handed him a plate. Jin could only describe himself as a hormonal teenager who had developed a crush for the first time. His feelings were a mess. When he was with Mi-Rae, he never had a desire like this. She was somebody he tried to avoid.
Guilt consumed him at the thought of his ex. He hated her. The worst part was she was still trying to get hold of him. She believed he would return to her even though he had met his soul mate. Jin scoffed at the idea. As if.
"So, what how are you finding America?" Madeline initiated the conversation, to his surprise. He flickered his gaze up to her pretty face. Under the dim lighting, she looked mysterious but also alluring.
"It's very different but in a good way." He began, not wanting to say he missed his home. He didn't mind traveling but Seoul was his home. Then again, he knew that it wouldn't feel like home without her. "I like...being close to you."
At his words, Madeline froze and blushed. His heart warmed at the beautiful sight. She appeared so charming when blushing from embarrassment.
"I hope I wasn't too forward," He apologized after a moment, genuinely concerned he had pushed it too far. They had only cleared the air a few hours ago. Was that too soon? "I'm not sure what boundaries you want to have."
Madeline licked her lips. His eyes couldn't help but follow the movements with fascination and desire. What would it feel like to taste those lips? Would they be as sweet as I imagined? He wondered to himself.
"I—" Her voice got caught in her throat. He suddenly felt bad for thinking such crude thoughts when she was clearly struggling to gather her thoughts. Why did he have to think so dirty-minded? He wasn't usually like this. "It wasn't too forward. Sorry, this is new to me. I—I promise if it's too much, I will let you know."
He nodded his head in acceptance. "Are you truly happy with your decision?"
Jin had to be certain before he put everything on the line.
"I am," She declared, fiercer than his ears could comprehend. Whatever happened over the last few days had clearly changed her mindset. When she came over earlier, after telling Taehyung she needed to speak to all of them, they were all anxious. They were worried they had gone too far by imposing 'dates' on her. So, they all expected her to reject them.
When the opposite words came out of her mouth, he was shocked.
Secretly, he had to pinch himself to make sure it was real.
"I guess you could say I had an epiphany," She claimed. He smiled at the word, recalling one of his solo songs. She must have known that was his song too because her blush returned. "My friend helped me see your point of view and that I was hiding important things from you. I'm sorry for causing you guys trouble. I can't imagine how much pain I have inflicted."
His immediate instinct was to assure her. Jin's arms reached out to touch her but just before his skin skimmed hers, he jolted backwards.
"I'm sorry," He apologized, ashamed of his sudden actions. "I'm not rejecting the bond. I—," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I've been waiting. I don't want to bond with you until you fully accept it.
Any worries she had when she saw him jump back melted away. Her dark brown orbs softened. She appreciated his words.
"I understand. You must have been waiting for this for a while," She commented, unaware of how much pain waiting for her had caused him.
Jin shuddered internally as the sad, dark memories flashed in his mind. He didn't want to reveal the hardships he had gone through until they had bonded. They had just gotten her and he didn't want to lose her by making her feel guilty.
"Yeah, but that's all over now. You're here with us and ready to accept us. All of those days of waiting are behind me now." He told her, lightly.
He wanted to confess every minor detail—that he wanted to hold and kiss her until he could barely breathe. He wanted to wake up beside her and smile when she shyly refused his kiss because of bad breath.
A small smile graced her lips, "So, I assume you want to wait until we bond?"
He sucked in a breath. Jin didn't want Madeline to think he was avoiding bonding with her because he was afraid—he didn't want to bond with her because he wanted it to be a special moment. He had grown up with the idea that the moment he bonded with his soul mate, worlds would collide and fireworks would erupt. He had a vision and he wanted it to be...perfect.
"If that's okay with you," He replied, lowly. "There's no rush. I..."
She cut him off gently. "It's okay, I think I understand. Every time I bonded with you guys, it was accidental or rushed. I never got to initiate. Not that I'm mad anymore because I'm not. I just want to decide once."
Now it was his turn to feel shy around her. If only his fans could see Mr. Worldwide Handsome getting all shy.
"I agree," Jin agreed, unconsciously shifting closer to her. He had to blink to stop himself from touching her.
Subtly leaning back, he continued to dry the dishes that had been forgotten about and struck up a new conversation with her.
"I assume you've seen some of our videos online?" He assumed, internally grinning wickedly.
A small and cute crease formed between her eyebrows, "Yeah..."
"Well then, you should know I'm excellent at jokes. How about I tell you some of my favorites?"
The air shifted, casting a lighter and brighter blanket over them. Jin wanted to make his soul mate laugh. She had giggled and smiled but never laughed freely before them. He was going to change that.
"Go for it," She replied, humbling him.
Jin started with a basic joke, "So, have you heard of the chocolate record player?"
A frown popped up on her face, no doubt confused about where he was going.
"It sounds pretty sweet."
She shook her head in disbelief at how bad it was. Jin sighed inwardly. He'd have to up his game.
"A skeleton walks into a bar and says to the bartender 'I'll have a beer and a mop.'" He joked, determined to get a reaction this time.
A smile cracked on her lips. With that small amount of progress, Jin continued to throw short yet funny jokes at his soul mate. When he did finally get her to laugh, he felt his world stop.
He could only describe her laugh as angelic. It felt too ethereal and beautiful to be considered anything else. To others, it may sound annoying but to him, it was magnetic. She was gorgeous when she let all of her guards down.
The dumbstruck look on his face didn't leave for a while. It was only when her laughter died down did he realized he probably resembled a creep. Flushing, Jin bowed his head and concentrated on putting the final dish away. A pleasant silence stretched between the two of them.
Jin was just happy to know that he had broken some ground with his soul mate. A goofy smile appeared on his face at the intense interaction they had earlier. That was what he wanted.
They were slowly making progress. And that meant everything to him.
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