“You look… good.”  Youngjae realized after the fact that going to a restaurant this fancy meant he had to dress up.  He was a strong believer in casual clothes, so searching for his one dress shirt and nice pants was a challenge.

“Thanks, it feels weird.”  He was sure Jackson would have something negative to say even though he styled himself to the best of his ability, but he just stared at him.  “Jackson?”

“Oh!  Sorry,” Jackson’s snapped back to reality.  “Your date is waiting inside outside, see he’s over there.”

Youngjae looked over to the restaurant entrance to see a man dressed in a suit and tie looking more handsome in real life than his profile picture.  “I can’t do this, he’s too handsome.  Look at his intimidatingly broad shoulders…”

“Look and unintimidating tiny hands!  Didn’t notice that in the picture.”  Jackson said and Youngjae hit him.

“Shut up, are you coming with me today?”

“Of course, I am, even though buying a meal from this place is going to burn a hole in my already empty pockets.  Any chance you can ask him to pay for me as well?”

“No way.”  Youngjae knew Jackson was kidding, but his voice came out harsher than he intended.  His nerves were getting the best of him.

“Hey, relax, you’re going to be fine.”  Jackson picked up on his anxiousness.  “You march in there like the confident man I know you are and you make him swoon.”

He loved how much Jackson was hyping him up, but it wasn’t helping.  In all honesty, it wasn’t the fact that he was going on a date that was making him sweat.  Something about this whole situation felt weird, and Youngjae wasn’t sure why.

Jackson gave him a once over and adjusted his clothes so they were all in place.  “You can do this.”

Youngjae nodded. “I can do this.”

Jackson nudged him off towards the restaurant.  There was something about Jackson’s smile that made Youngjae feel uneasy, but there was no turning back now.

“You must be Choi Youngjae, right?”  This Jaebum character was even more dazzling up close.  Everything from his dangling star earrings to his perfectly clear skin screamed this guy had no reason to be interested in him.

“Yes, Im Jaebum?”  Jaebum took his hand in his.

“Of course, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”  Youngjae thought he was going to do something cheesy like kissing his hand or something, but instead, Jaebum gently tugged him along into the restaurant.  Youngjae didn’t know if he would be able to survive that.

The grandeur of the restaurant really hit him when they were seated.  The servers treated them like they were royalty and nothing on the menu cost less than a small fortune.  He knew he wasn’t paying but he still tried to look for the cheapest thing to order out of modesty.

Things were awkwardly silent between them until they had both ordered and Jaebum finally started trying to make conversation.

“So, you’re a music major as well?” 

That was all it took for Youngjae to feel comfortable launching into a discussion on compositions and vocal techniques.  Their conversation flowed so naturally Youngjae almost forgot he was on a date.

Jaebum held his hand as they spoke, staring affectionately into Youngjae’s eyes.  The adoration was evident.  Youngjae’s heart was fluttering.  Youngjae felt his phone vibrating nonstop in his pocket but he ignored it.  He was floating on a cloud. This was it. 

This was finally the date of his dreams.

Youngjae had barely dug into his meal when he felt someone grab him by the arm and pulling him up.  The sudden jolt scared him as he had no idea what was going on.  He was even more shocked when he saw Jackson was the one forcing him up.

“What are you doing?  Let go!”  Youngjae tried to get out of his grip, but there was no way he could overpower Jackson. 

“This isn’t right, he’s not-“

“I said let go!”  Youngjae yelled and Jackson was so shocked he did let him go.  “What are you doing?!”

“I’m saving you!”

“From what?”

“This date!  He’s not… you…”  Jackson looked down at Jaebum who was giving him a death glare.

“I’m actually having a good time, you don’t need to save me from anything.” 

Jackson didn’t have an answer to that.  He eyes were dull and his face motionless.

“This is ridiculous,” Jaebum spoke to Jackson.  “I hope you don’t expect me to pay you after this.” 

“You’re right, it’s… fine.”  Jackson sounded the opposite of his normal self, his tone lifeless.  It made Youngjae uncomfortable to see him like that.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.  I shouldn’t have I… sorry.  I’m so sorry.”  His voice cracked slightly before he walked right out of the restaurant.

People were looking at them and Jaebum’s glare was enough to calm the scene down.  “What was that all about?”

Youngjae wanted to give him an answer but he didn’t know.  Everything about this evening was perfect, yet he felt in his gut he was making a mistake.  The way Jackson looked at him broke his heart.

“You okay?”  Jaebum asked after Youngjae hadn’t answered.

“I need to make sure he’s okay,” Youngjae shouldn’t have yelled at him, there must’ve been a good reason for his actions.  “I’m sorry.”  Youngjae squeaked out before he stood up and ran outside after Jackson, hoping he could catch up.

Luckily, he didn’t have to go far.  He found Jackson crouched down on the sidewalk right outside the restaurant, his face in his hands.

Youngjae crouched down next to him, unsure of what to say.  Jackson must’ve sensed his presence.  “What are you doing out here?  Did I ruin your date?”  He asked coldly.

“I left myself, I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” 

“Get back in there, you don’t need to worry about me.”  Jackson slid over a bit to distance himself from Youngjae but Youngjae slid over so they were back together.

“Jackson, you’ve been acting weird all day, I’m not going back in there unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

Jackson let out a long-drawn sigh before he finally lifted his head up, his eyes puffy and his smile long gone.  “It’s some personal stuff, you wouldn’t care.”

“I care.”  Youngjae had grown close with Jackson over the span of one week.  Jackson was such an open person, he wore his heart on his sleeve and it was hard not to get attached.  When he wasn’t feeling himself Youngjae felt his own emotions take a dip.  “Please.”  Youngjae pleaded.

After another silence, Jackson spoke.  “It’s my mom back in Hong Kong… she’s not well.  She hasn’t been well for a very long time.  I got a call this morning she’s been moved to the hospital permanently.”  Jackson’s voice cracked again.

“What?  Shouldn’t you go back to see her?!” 

“That’s the thing, I can’t.  I was training to become a singer when she got sick, that’s why I left Hong Kong in the first place.  When her situation progressed to this state I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to help.  I wasn’t making any money being a trainee so I quit my agency to find a job.  Unfortunately, it’s hard than it looks for a foreigner to find a job here.  I had positions but they never lasted, eventually I started doing odd jobs to try and make money in any way possible…”

“That’s why you do the whole matchmaking thing?”

“It’s stupid, I’m honestly no good at it.  I need money, I can’t go back empty-handed.  That would be awful.”

Youngjae took a moment to digest everything Jackson had said.  “I think your mom would be happy to see you; money or no money.”

“I feel like I ruined everything by taking this chance.  If I didn’t have such wild dreams I would be back at home by her side, now I can barely afford a flight back let alone being able to help her out,” Jackson slapped himself across the face abruptly, trying to get back to his senses.  “Sorry I dumped this all on you, my emotions really reached their cap today and I lost it.”

“Nobody can be happy all the time,” Youngjae slid closer so their knees were touching.  “You shouldn’t regret chasing your dreams.  Your mom must’ve trusted you to let you come here.”

“That sounds exactly like what she would say.”  Jackson leaned over into Youngjae, resting his head on Youngjae’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry I ruined your date, all your dates actually.  I’m no good at this.”

“Why didn’t you ask me for money if you needed it so badly?”

“I dunno... you looked so cute and desperate it felt wrong.  I really did want to help you but…”    Jackson mumbled into his shoulder.  “You should go back to your date, you were having a good time, right?”

Youngjae felt his cheeks warm up.    Youngjae was having an amazing time, and he should march right back into that restaurant if he knew what was good for him.  “Why did you want me to leave?”

Jackson’s face pressed against him harder, letting his weight fall on him.  Completely vulnerable.  “I… don’t know.  I’m just… selfish.” Jackson didn’t move from his spot against Youngjae.  “Aren’t you going back in?”  Jackson's voice was only a whisper now.

“Actually, I was having an awful time, so boring,” Youngjae leaned his head down against Jackson’s. 

“I think I’ll stay right here.”