Seokjin wasn't very pleased at the moment with the situation at hand. Especially since he realized that whole reason that Yoongi found them was because Namjoon had left his phone on, thus the general tracked him down easily.
This idiot was the King of Korea.
Said idiot scooted closer to him, a peck on the cheek brought Seokjin out of his daze. Namjoon was looking at him with such fondness that Seokjin really couldn't remain mad at him for so long. Damn dimples.
"Penny for your thoughts?" the King asked.
Seokjin just crossed his arm and huffed, "You're an idiot."
Any other king might've been insulted, Namjoon however was always genuinely amused by how carefree Seokjin was with him. He was probably one of the few people that treated him like a normal person. Personally, Namjoon loved the scolding. "Baby, I said I was sorry."
The crossed arms tightened, "Yah, don't 'baby' me," he said, smacking Namjoon on the shoulder, "I'm older than you!"
Namjoon just laughs and places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, "Sorry, sorry," he chuckles. Seokjin just continues pouting. Namjoon rested his head on the elder's shoulder and locked their fingers together. Honestly, under that circumstance what was Jin going to do, say no?
In front of them, Yoongi stared at them with a scrunched up nose. "Can you two not do that in front of me?" he asked, the look of disgust evident on his face.
"Jealous?" Namjoon teases, Yoongi just scoffs and remains quiet the rest of the ride.
Seokjin had never ridden in a helicopter before. It was noisy, yes, but the view was a great thing to behold.
Their date might have been interrupted, yes, but Yoongi informed them that they had prepared a last minute place for the two of them. The whole thing, of course, would be much more simple compared to the dates with the other candidates since it was so last minute.
Seokjin didn't mind simple.
"We need to get some part of the date filmed," the general clarifies, "The staff has been ordered to keep their mouth shut regarding your escape, so no one is going to ask questions. We're going to pretend that you two drove here and that your date was here the whole time. The editing department has already received those orders."
Namjoon, however, was pouting. "What kind of last minute date was planned? I hope its at least something decent. I don't want it to seem like I didn't prepare anything special for Jin-hyung."
"Jungkook planned it, so I have no clue."
Great. That was...helpful.
The helicopter started going down. Seokjin took a peek outside the window. He could only see a small house, it took him a while to realize that it was his own. He glanced back at Namjoon who looked equally confused.
Once they landed they were flooded by staff members. Seokjin was pulled away, getting his hair and makeup adjusted. From the other side he could hear shrieks coming from Namjoon's personal stylist, "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!"
The stylist team managed to doll them up. Namjoon had somehow convinced his to let him wear the clothes he had on earlier this morning. Either way he looked good.
"Seems like Jungkook wants us to have a cooking date," Namjoon whispers in Seokjin's ear while his stylist left to find a foundation in Seokjin's color.
"So he suggested my house?" Seokjin asks. The whole thing was really strange to him.
"There's footage of us driving here this morning, so the easiest thing to do was to make this the location. Makes it easier on the editing team."
Seokjin guessed that made sense. It also explained why they were dressed in the same clothes from this morning.
Once they were both ready, Seokjin had to put his acting skills to use. They had to pretend to walk into the house for the first time, Seokjin giving the King a tour of the place again.
It seems that while they had been gone, the kitchen had been restocked with fresh ingredients. Seokjin was honestly surprised to see so much high quality food in his fridge.
He supposed that perhaps Jungkook chose this sort of date because it something they were used to by now. It was a comfortable set for the both of them. However, Jin knew that him cooking and Namjoon watching would be too boring for the grand public to watch. Other candidates had had exciting dates at amusement parks or beaches.
He had to step up his game.
"What are you doing?" Namjoon asks when Jin comes to him and places an apron against the King's chest, going behind him while holding it in place.
"You're helping me cook," Seokjin casually says as he ties the knots.
The King's gaping expression was laughable. "Don't look so scared," Seokjin says, patting him on the back, "It's not that hard."
"I've never cooked in my life."
"Well, you will today," the blonde winks before turning to the cabinets. He could make so many different dishes with the ingredients in his fridge but the first thing he needed was a chopping board and a knife.
It had been only a few weeks since he had been taken from his home but it felt like it had been years since he had used this kitchen. He couldn't remember well where everything was stored and started just opening cabinets, grabbing anything he could deem useful.
At one point, when he finally found the cutting board in one of the very upper cabinets, he felt something warm press against his back as a hand reached out to grab the board that just a few centimeters away from his reach.
The smell of soap hit his nostrils. Interesting. It seemed the King didn't use cologne. Seokjin turned in his spot, their chests now pressed together. He gives the king an arched brow at the position. Namjoon is smiling down at him in an almost teasing matter, "Too cliche?" he asks.
"Very," Seokjin whispers, pulling away.
Turns out Namjoon was rather okay at this, despite it being his first time. Seokjin did notice that when he gave out instructions, they needed to be very detailed for the King to understand them. A lesson that he learned when he saw Namjoon attempt to cut an onion with the knife cover still on.
Several moments later, Seokjin realized the king had horrible chopping skills, and moved in behind him to guide him. He grabbed his hands and moved them in the motion they required, cutting everything in small pieces. Namjoon nodded, now determined and very motivated by the close contact, proceeded to continue on his own.
Jin can't help but laugh at Namjoon's concentration but eventually starts scolding the younger when the some of the vegetables he cuts isn't at the right length. He grabs pieces and shoves it at the camera, "He thinks this is 3cm!" he shouts, not able to stop his laughter, "Yah! Cut this right, will you!"
Namjoon just laughs behind him. Seokjin sighs and looks at the camera, "Everyone, this is your King."
It gets even funnier when they start making cabbage kimchi and Namjoon keeps ripping the cabbage leaves on accident. The king just sighs and looks a bit dejected. Seokjin places a strip of kimchi to his mouth, "Say ahh, Joon-ah," he says, the younger obliging.
"Mm, it's good."
"This is the result of your hard work," the blonde praises making the King beam.
They're done when they've used up every ingredient in the fridge, Seokjin having to make up a few dishes because he didn't want anything to go to waste. The process took hours and using everything meant that there was just way too much food for only the two of them. Seokjin already had a plan though.
Namjoon ate happily, a huge smile on his face as he savored every bite. "Ugh, this is too good," he moans, "I'm replacing the palace cook, you'll take on the job right? It'll also give me something decent to look at while I eat."
"Oh, shush you."
"No, but really, this is amazing. I'm really tired from helping make all of this, but perhaps that's what makes all of this taste so much better." He pauses before adding, "That and the amazing view I have," he winks, looking straight at Seokjin.
The elder scrunches his nose but the blush on his cheeks is clear as day, "You're so cheesy."
The king smirks, "You like it."
"Can't say I don't," he admits.
After they eat, Seokjin insists that the staff sit down to eat. After all, they had a rough day after Namjoon pulled the whole escape plan on them this morning. A lot of them were hesitant, but did as they were told when the King told them to.
Seokjin served every staff member personally, Namjoon watched him with very fond eyes.
After serving everyone, each staff member thanking him and complementing the food, Seokjin threw himself in on the sofa in the living room. There were several cameras being kept there while the directors, camera crew, stylists, etc. all ate happily. Jin looked out the window, it was dark out and he began to want nothing more than to go upstairs and throw himself on his bed.
A small peck on the top of his head made him look up. Namjoon was behind him, glancing down at him with a soft smile on his face. Seokjin smiled back, "Tired, Your Majesty?"
"Very," Namjoon admitted, he began rubbing the elder's shoulders, "but you worked the hardest today."
"Sure did. Glad you noticed." That earned a chuckle from the king who pressed his fingers harder on Jin's shoulders. The elder let out an embarrassing moan that made both of them blush.
"Kinky," Namjoon commented slyly, "What do I have to do to make you make that sound again?" He laughs when he managed to dodge a hit to his arm from Seokjin. A flustered Jin was a very cute one.
"All joking aside, Hyung," he says, still enjoying the annoyed look Seokjin has on his face. "Come with me a moment." He takes him by the hand, guides him to the porch where there's no one else in sight.
Once outside Namjoon offered him a weak smile, he looked nervous, "I, um, I got something for you," he says, reaching into his pocket.
Seokjin tilts his head and leans in to get a closer look.
"I hope you like it," the King says as he pulls out a tiny pink box in his palm and opens it. Seokjin's mouth drops when he sees a simple silver ring inside.
"There's one for me too," Namjoon says quickly, not looking at Seokjin in the eyes, "they're promise rings-I bought chains for them too. I assumed that the best thing would be wearing them around our necks so others wouldn't notice."
Seokjin just stares at the ring in the box, jaw slack, "You bought promise rings," he stated incredulously, slowly, "for us."
Namjoon didn't know how to take that reaction, "Is it too much?" he asks nervously, "Too soon? Sorry, I should've-" Seokjin places a finger on the king's lips, shutting him up.
With his other hand, Seokjin grabs the ring. There's a chain on it, just like Namjoon said. His eyes rise to meet Joon's as he puts it around his neck, once he clasps it in place they both just stare silently at each other's eyes.
"Thank you, Joon-ah," he whispers before he places a soft kiss on Namjoon's lips. He gives him a bright smile, the one where his eyes crinkle up cutely because of his adorable cheeks, "I love it."
Namjoon sighs out a breath of relief. "Thank god," he says, pulling the elder in and bringing their lips together once more.
"You're doing great Seokjin," his vocal instructor praises, "You've improved greatly. I know its hard for an acting major to change up the projection of his voice but you've done well. You'll be blowing the audience away at the show."
Seokjin nodded nervously, thanking the instructor as he left the room. He sighed once he was out. Yesterday, Geong-min announced that the concert they had been planning for weeks would be held the day after the last candidate date with the king so everyone was working hard getting ready. Especially after it was also announced that after the concert twenty candidates would finally be eliminated from the competition. Leaving only the top ten.
Rumors had it that the performance involved a high percentage of whether you stayed or left, so even Seokjin was working hard on his solo since his dancing was lacking compared to the others.
His fingers went up to the chain around his neck as he walked, a smile curling on his lips. It had been only two days since he received the ring but it still felt like a dream. As if he would wake up from it at any moment.
Taehyung's date with Namjoon yesterday went well. They went hiking up the mountains very early. Seokjin had humorously watched the footage this morning on Kim TV, the channel dedicated to everything that involved the royal family. The current most famous segment, of course, was The Reveal, which was the show that covered the whole competition.
No one seemed suspicious of Seokjin's date with the king. The editing department did a great job editing all of the footage to make it seemed like their little escape never happened.
It was night time now, rather late to be honest. He checked the time, Jimin should be back from his date with the king soon. Maybe if he stopped by his room he could chat a bit with him in the hallway. He needed a few dance pointers anyway.
When he reached the hallway he noticed the light on in Jimin's room, the door slightly opened. It did seem that Jimin was back.
He heard voices as he approached, instantly recognized Tae's among them. He got closer, wondering what Tae was doing there at this hour.
"Jiminie, you're drunk, you need to sleep," he heard Tae say. "Ugh, only you would pick drinking with the king as a date idea."
Jin peaked in. Tae was trying to push Jimin on the bed, getting the smaller male to stay in bed but Jimin had always been a clingy drunk.
Jimin giggled, "Did you know the king can't hold his drinks, Tae? I beat him in a drinking competition."
Tae hummed, "I'll be sure to let Jin-hyung know."
Suddenly Jimin jumped and screamed, "No!" Tae jumped back, surprised. "Don't tell Jin-hyung! He can never know what happened! He can't know that I- that we-"
Seokjin slowly pushes the door open and enters, neither of the two boys notice him go in.
"Calm down Jimin," Tae says, as he pushes Jimin off of him. "It was just a few drinks."
The small brunette starts sobbing. "Don't tell Jin-hyung," he repeats, lying still against the bed, his sobs calming and his eyes closing. "Don't tell," he whispers, "He'll hate me."
Jin was about to walk over and soothe the boy before Jimin whispered the last thing he expected to hear.
"He'll hate me for making out with the king."