NOTE: Everything in this chapter is still OUTSIDE of the show!

Jimin looked around her in awe as soon as she stepped out of the underground carpark, donning an extra fashion face mask that Taekwoon had offered her. Taekwoon had convinced her with two reasons: one, to block out the cold; two, to hide her face. Apparently, she thought she was not popular enough to be recognised by the public. Taekwoon mentally shook his head at her belief.

She felt his presence beside her and she instinctively turned to him, while noting that he was wearing a mask too, though his one was a different design of the same brand she was wearing. The crescents of her eyes told Taekwoon that she was smiling, despite not being able to see her upward-curving lips. He could tell she was excited, almost like a child, by the way her feet looked as if they couldn’t stand on the ground still. He took her hand into his larger one and pulled her along the way, leading her to their destination.

Again, the heat in her face gave her cheeks a bright pink blush and it was thanks to the mask that the man did not see them. For a moment, she allowed herself to immerse in the heat he was radiating not only from his hand, but from his body in the way they were walking closely together. Then she felt him putting their linked hands into the pocket of his jacket, keeping them both warm. She lifted her head and looked at the male’s side profile; he was facing ahead and leading her, therefore not able to see her eyes on him. She studied the way he was walking slightly in front of her, allowing her to wrap herself around his arm and giving him the job to protect her. She loved the feeling of being close to him, though she would never say that in words, for she was scared of rejection.

Her feelings towards the male idol came gradually, but the realisation hit her overnight. One evening she was watching one of VIXX’s performances on TV and she remembered how her eyes always landed on him, no matter where the camera was filming. And then when she wasn’t satisfied by the number of solo shots he got, she found herself searching up fancams that were solely focused on him. That was how she spent her rare free evening: watching videos of the idol. The next day, as soon as she opened her eyes, she realised that she liked him more than a friend, a lot more.

She started to recall the moments they were together, in the show and outside of the show, despite the rarity of it. She found that no matter what she replayed in her mind, she was smiling all the way through it. The smile never left her face, even when she entered the company building. Almost immediately, the staff members saw how her mood was much better than the previous day, when her aura was dim and weak. Her manager had asked her what happened the night before, and of course, she did not speak a word. The older male could only leave her in her studio as she started on a new song with an upbeat tune.

Jimin was sure she broke her own personal record for finishing a song within a day, starting from scratch. The melody came to her so naturally that she didn’t need the time to stop and think. Writing the lyrics seemed pretty easy too; as soon as she put pen to paper, she was scribbling away, and the once plain piece of paper was soon filled with words that reflected her heart. However, when she completed the song, she decided that it was a song that she would never sing, because it was only up on completion that one thought came to her: she was afraid of rejection.

With a heavy heart, she locked the song away and buried it deep within her memory, as well as her hard drive’s memory. She knew the day when she would come to sing the song was far, far away, and therefore there was no point in keeping it on loop in her mind when she was scared of the outcome.

‘It’s all for the best,’ she thought, ‘It’ll be a miracle if I can hear that song again.’

“Have you eaten?” Taekwoon asked as they waited at the crossing. The feeling of her hand in his was so natural that it didn’t even appear unusual in his mind, and since she didn’t reject him when he took the initiative to take her hand, he assumed she was fine with his advances (though he didn’t know why he was doing all these things when he wasn’t even sure of the girl’s feelings).

Jimin shook her head. “Not yet,” she replied. “You said we’re going to have lunch, so I didn’t even eat breakfast.”

“Are you crazy?” Taekwoon gaped at her, not believing her words. She was the type to drill the importance of the three meals into your head.

“Just joking!” she giggled. “I ate breakfast, but nothing since then.”

The male narrowed his sharp eyes at her, half-suspicious of her words, but he decided to let it go, since it was one of the very rare times when they could both be out and about. She had a feeling that he doubted her, so Jimin nudged his side and pulled him along when the green man lighted up.

“Are you going to take me to eat some good stuff?” she asked when they were across the street. She haven’t been to this part of Seoul before and everything seemed new to her, even when the buildings were at some stage of wear and tear.

“You’re only thinking about food aren’t you?” he teased.

“You’re answering my question with a question,” she pointed out. “And that’s not good.”

“Come on,” he said, ignoring her comment.

He led her to a market place, and a mixture of delicious smelling food greeted them. Jimin’s eyes widened at the variety of things she saw in front of her. The place had so many different stores that she couldn’t possible count, and the number of people coming and going amazed her greatly.

“Oppa, are you sure this is okay?” she queried after a few seconds. “Aren’t people going to recognise you?”

“It’s a little late to be asking this, don’t you think?” he raised a brow at her – they were already walking into the market and were among tens of people in the crowd. “And trust me, the person they would be recognising first would be you, not me.”

“But-”

“Don’t think too much,” he told her as he continued to pull her along. “Just enjoy yourself, okay?”

Hesitantly, she nodded her head. She was still slightly worried, but seeing how relaxed and chill Taekwoon was, it influenced her to share his mood quickly. Then, when she felt free from her preoccupations, she gawked at the market.

Apparently, Namdaemum Market was one of the oldest markets in Seoul, and anyone coming to Seoul would know this one. Inside her head, she was slapping herself for not knowing such a famous place beforehand. This market was so big in size and wide in variety that it amazed her to no end. There were stores selling traditional Korean utensils and other kitchen tools, some were selling herbs, some clothing, others accessories, and just about everything she could name was sold there.

Taekwoon saw her amusement and it turned into his amusement to watch her looking so entertained and interested. He deliberately walked at a slower pace, so she could take her time looking around, while he made sure no one bumped into her or caused her any trouble. Somehow, he was finding a sense of achievement while taking care of the girl and keeping her safe.

Jimin was not totally absorbed into sightseeing, since she was still conscious of the male beside her. She noticed how his grip on her hand became harder, even though they there still resting in his pocket, and she also saw how he led her away for potential harm around her. In a way, he was acting like a bodyguard, but that only confused her more – why was he acting like this? She admit she was a little thick around the topic of relationships, and she couldn’t help but getting her mind jumbled up. Even so, at the moment, in the middle of the market, the only thing she could do was to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and simply enjoy her time out with her ‘husband’.

The pair came to a stop in front of a small restaurant in a side road, just a little away from the market and the crowd. Jimin was sure Taekwoon knew what he was doing, since he had been taking the lead as soon as they got off the car. Nevertheless, she glanced at him and caught him looking at her at the same time. He sent a tiny smirk in her way and only to be replied with the narrowing of her eyes. Chuckling, he pulled her towards the shop and slid the door open with the hand that wasn’t holding hers.

Instantly, Jimin felt a gust of warm air welcoming her into the eatery and it made her realise that the smell inside the restaurant was making her stomach send hunger signals to her brain. It was only then she realised how hungry she was. She squeezed her eyes shut for a split second, silently praying that her stomach would not dare to make a sound that would embarrass her to the end of the world in front of the man beside her.

“You’re really hungry, aren’t you?” Taekwoon asked, pulling their linked hands out of his pocket and reluctantly letting her go. He saw a flash of disappointment on her face, which was then quickly replaced by an expression of shock. “You didn’t make any noise,” he told her as he started taking off his shoes. “But it’s written all over your face.”

Pouting, Jimin shadowed his actions, since it was the tradition to enter the eatery without shoes on. She decided to ignore his comment and followed his example of neatly placing his shoes on the rack next to the entrance. Once she was done, she found him speaking with a middle-aged woman, who was very likely to be the owner of the restaurant. The woman casted her a look and Jimin smiled politely before the former turned back to Taekwoon. Jimin hurriedly stepped onto the landing and joined the man just as the owner led them to their table at the back of the restaurant, as requested by Taekwoon – he thought it was better to be safe than sorry at a time like this.

They settled at the small table and Jimin was glad to be near a mini heater that emitted the warmth she had missed whilst being outdoors. They had taken off their jackets and masks, leaving them in a neat pile beside the table. Taekwoon sat down onto the ground opposite her and handed her a menu. She took the booklet from his hand and opened it, regretting once she did so because of the various pictures pasted that made water more than she would like it to.

“Anything you want to try?” Taekwoon asked, and Jimin noted how he was the one doing the talking today rather than her.

“I don’t know…” she said, her eyes trailing over the pictures. “I’m too hungry to pick anything specific.”

Taekwoon chuckled lightly and reached over to lightly knock her head, earning him a scowl from the girl.

“This place has good noodle dishes,” Taekwoon informed.

“Have you been here before?” Jimin asked.

He shook his head while looking down at the menu. “Hakyeon told me,” he replied, “Apparently, he’s been here with someone before.”

Jimin’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Oh, is our Taekwoonie going to gossip about his friend?”

Taekwoon was slightly taken aback by her sudden use of his name in that manner, but paid no more attention to it as he rolled his eyes at her.

“There’s nothing to gossip about,” he said. “I don’t think he has any secrets that we don’t know.”

“You mean he talks too much,” Jimin snickered, understanding the meaning behind his words almost immediately.

“Enough about him,” he dismissed. “Want to try the gomguksu?”

The girl nodded her head quickly. “But I want to try the kalguksu too!”

“Might as well get a portion of japchae while we’re at it,” Taekwoon wondered aloud.

“Can we even eat all of that?” Jimin blinked. “What if we eat too much that we won’t be able to eat more later on?”

“We’ll manage,” he said. “You’re pigging out today, aren’t you? There’s no reason why we won’t eat everything.”

hung open as she stared at him. “I can't believe you just said that!” The smug look on his face pushed her button further. “You just indirectly called me a pig!”

“Excuse me, we’re ready to order!” Taekwoon turned and called out to the owner, purposely ignoring the fuming girl opposite him. Getting the owner over to their table was more effective at shutting her up than him trying to say anything, since she wasn’t the type to throw a fit in front of people she didn’t know.

True to his thoughts, Jimin zipped her lips as the owner arrived. She sat in her seat timidly and let Taekwoon handle the ordering.

“What would you like?” the owner asked, kneeling down beside the male.

“Can we please have one gomguksu, one kalguksu, and a portion of japchae as well?” Taekwoon replied.

“Would you like hot or cold japchae?”

Taekwoon looked at Jimin for an answer, to which she quickly spoke, “Hot one, please.”

The owner nodded as she jotted down their order onto a small pad. “Anything else?”

The pair shook their heads and thanked the woman before she stood up to prepare their food. Jimin leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table, while cupping her cheeks with her palms. She was giving the male a look, to which the latter did not understand.

“What is it?” he questioned.

Jimin remained silent but a few seconds later, she simply shook her head and said a quiet, “Nothing.”

Though he knew it was not ‘nothing’, but he didn’t pry further. He figured that if she wanted to let him know something, she would say it in words. Well, there were times when she didn’t need to say anything for him to understand, and he was proud of that, because it only showed how much he understood and knew her.

They sat at the table, and were wrapped in a cosy tranquil atmosphere. Neither said much, but it was enough to convey their comfort across to the other. The quietness was not awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, they preferred being able to spend time like this over quick and hasty meetings like those in the broadcasting companies when they would only get the chance to say a quick hi before being whisked off in separate directions.

Not long later, their order came, and to their surprise, the owner had given them a free plate of kimchi jeon. When the idols questioned the free dish, the owner informed them that her teenage daughter was their fan, and that the younger girl would always catch up on their show whenever it aired. Of course, the (unofficial) couple was grateful to know their popularity in the public, and happily accepted the free service given by the restaurant owner.

Jimin stared down at the bowl of gomguksu in front of her and gawked at the sheer size of it. She took a good look at Taekwoon’s kalguksu and then at the japchae in the middle of the table, along with the kimchi jeon. She laughed nervously and caught the attention of Taekwoon, who only blinked at her in response.

“Do you really think we can finish everything off?” she questioned again. “There’s got to be more than a three-person portion here.”

“I thought you were hungry,” Taekwoon stated. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” Jimin shook her head. “I mean, look at the food!”

Taekwoon did as he was told and looked down at the very appetising food, and then glanced back up at the girl. He shot her a small smile and handed her a pair of chopsticks before motioning for her to dig in. There was no need for more words when there was food in front of them. After all, who needs to talk when there’s food?

Gomguksu – noodles with beef based broth

Kalguksu – knife-cut noodles

Japchae – stir-fried sweet potato noodles with beef and vegetables

Kimchi jeon – kimchi pancakes

I haven’t replied to comments in a very long time, so I’m going to reply to all the messages here.

Thank you so much for supporting and liking the story. I just realised how it’s been more than two years since the first chapter of this story was posted, and I cannot stress how sorry I am for not updating for so long. Writing this story has been a rollercoaster for me and there were times when I wanted to give up because of the lack of motivation and inspiration. However, because of the encouraging comments, I have decided to pick the story up again, and hopefully I will not do such a disappointing job this time. Again, thank you for bearing with me and I hope you will continue to support and enjoy the story!