28 Unspoken Words

Momentarily stunned, Seo-yeon stood still, saying nothing. Her mind unable to process that Jin was standing in front of her offering her a ride home. It was a pleasant surprise when Taehyung had accidentally ran into her and offered to escort her to her apartment. It was a whole other ball game when the man she promised to push aside for their best interests stood in front of her. Not knowing how to get out of this situation, she looked down at her feet and considered running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Sensing her instinct to flee, Jin hastily took her hand to stall her. "It's late. Come on? You had no problem letting Tae take you home."

Staring at their hands, she felt her ears becoming hot. The most innocent touch from him still unnerved her. How could he be so dense as to compare her relationship with Taehyung to theirs? She looked up to meet his eyes, trying to install that thought into his head.

As if receiving the message, he chuckled. "Ok, I know you have no history with him. I'm not that clueless," he sighed in relief when she seemed to relax her posture, "It's just a ride home. Friends worry about each other. I just want to make sure you get home safely."

Nodding her head, she relented. Seizing the moment, Jin lead her to his car. He opened the door, and released her hand as she sat down. He didn't drive off until she was buckled in. He took his mask off once they were a good distance from the company. Seo-yeon sneaked peeks at his face, loving each feature.

"Did you have time to pick me up, or did you sneak off?" She casually asked.

"We have free time. Everyone is getting ready for the gathering. We'll be busy all day, so we have these few hours to ourselves."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping or resting at home?" She knew how strenuous their time was, and the last thing she wanted was for him to wear himself out. She was not worth him wasting a moments rest.

"This is relaxing," he glanced at her and grinned at her, "I always feel less stressed when I'm with you."

She shyly averted her eyes from him. He returned his eyes to the road. Smiling to himself, he shook his head and thought, 'I never thought I'd be saying such cheesy things." As "cheesy" as it was, he meant every word. He could be himself and not be the Jin everyone expects. She knew him as Seok Jin before she knew him as BTS' Jin. She had no expectations of how he should act. He was just Jin when he was with her.

"I've never been to a huge party like this comeback celebration. I'm actually really nervous," Seo-yeon said trying to make the conversation turn direction.

"We still get nervous at these events. All eyes are on us, and we have to be on our best behavior," he became focused on the road as they neared her apartment, "Once we are introduced, and hype up our new album and tour, everyone actually enjoys the party."

"So you guys have to advertise yourselves while the rest get to eat, drink and dance?" She wasn't surprised that a party thrown in honor of them required them to mingle with others, but it seemed more like another tedious job. She felt bad for them. They didn't even really get to have fun at their own party.

"We still have a good time. We eat, drink, and dance too. We're just mindful that we have people that we are expected to greet." He shrugged to show that it was no big deal. Years of working in the industry made events like this a small issue.

"As a newcomer to this industry, what advice would you give me?"

Parking in an area that was not crowded, they continued their conversation. Neither broaching the topic of Seo-yeon having arrived at her place.

"Hmmm...."Jin squinted his eyes to exaggerate how much thought he was putting into the question. Seo playfully stomped her feet in annoyance at the wait time.

"Alright, alright!" he laughed, "Have fun. Even though we promote ourselves, we still have fun."

"Sounds easy enough. I hope I don't make a fool of myself. I'm still learning about this business, and I don't want it to be too obvious that I come from a small town where I didn't even know the hosts of the night."

"There's nothing wrong with you not knowing us. Honestly, that's what I like about you."

Seo-yeon's eyes widened. Jin closed his eyes and wanted to face palm himself. He had not meant for it to sound like a confession. They were finally friends and this unintended statement may frighten her away.

"What I mean is that you accepted Yoongi and I for who we were. You didn't want anything from us other than friendship," he gave her the friendliest smile he could muster, "Even when you found out who we were, you avoided us because you were trying to protect our image along with your own privacy. Most people would use our name to get far in the entertainment industry. The others saw this too. That's why you have new little brothers."

Both laughed at the mention of the maknae line. Accepting his explanation, Seo-yeon relaxed her posture. She still hoped to protect their image, and a love interest was not in the cards. Friendship was more than enough for her.

"Thank you, Jin," She held his stare, not cowering away as she normally did, "For the ride, the advice, and for everything else."

She didn't explain what "everything else" meant, but he knew. She didn't have to give more detail for him to know she meant understanding how she felt about where they stood. His chest tightened with emotions he swore to bury. He startled both of them by pulling her into an embrace. He could feel her body tense. He began to pull away in fear that he ruined everything. Her fingers dug into his coat, pulling closer. The sudden movement surprised him, but he didn't stop her. They didn't speak. Words were not necessary.

Seo-yeon was the first to pull away. They both had sheepish grins plastered on their faces. It was understood that they were friends, but they didn't deny the attraction they felt. Each could feel the unspoken words, but promised to keep their boundaries.

"See you later." Seo-yeon stepped out of the car, and ran to her apartment.