Jin seemed like himself again, but at the same time, something was different. He would laugh and tell dad jokes like old times, but the sparkle in his eyes for me was gone. His expressions were blank, when our eyes met. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with my presence. The dinner was so awkward I quickly ate, and left trying to look unbothered in front of everyone. Even the others sensed the awkward atmosphere, but no one addressed it.

When I got home I threw myself on my bed. The night events replayed in my head. My heart ached as I thought about how Jin treated me. The tears trickled down my cheeks as I quietly sobbed into my pillow.

~~~

In the morning I got up and ready for work. My eyes were swollen from crying all night, so I put some ice on them to reduce the swelling. I felt more anxious today, knowing I was teaching students for the first time. I gathered my planner and things and nervously strolled over to the school.

I wrung my hands as I stared at the clock as it slowly ticked closer to the time that class would begin. One by one I was greeted by the fresh faced students until it was finally time for class to begin.

I cleared my throat and prepared to address the class.

What was I thinking being a teacher? I hate public speaking!

"Good morning class!" I said to my class, my voice shaking a bit.

"Ahem... I'm your new teacher Ms. Lee. I am from America, and I would like everyone to stand up and introduce themselves in English please."

I saw the confusion on the student's faces, so I repeated myself in Korean. They did as I asked, with many awkwardly speaking in English.

I handed out the syllabus and explained in English, then Korean what I expected of them. The class went by easily and so were my next classes. After my third class, I finally felt a bit more comfortable speaking to the students. I was just glad I was teaching adults, and not children or I would have had a very difficult time. Children required a lot more attention that I did not have the energy for. Cute chubby faced kids would get away with murder if I was their teacher.

For my long lunch break, I was going to meet up with Taehyung to eat. He had texted me in the morning to see if I was free for lunch. I didn't have to come back to work until much later for my night classes so it seemed like the best opportunity.

Taehyung picked me up in his luxury foreign car. He drove us to a fancy restaurant in Gangnam. As we entered the extravagant restaurant, I realized that this whole thing was suspiciously looking like a date. From the way Taehyung was dressed to the nines and his hair done so nicely. He had even behaved gentlemanly by opening the door for me. As we sat down and looked over the extravagant menu, he recommended his favorite dish to me. I ordered the same thing he ordered trustingly. Taehyung smiled, pleased with my choice. As I marveled at the surroundings, I noticed other famous idols and Korean celebrities nearby. I tried to hold my composure as I tried to give them all their privacy. Our food came out in lightning speed and Taehyung and I quickly started devouring the delicious meal.

"How do you like it out here Cora?" Taehyung asked while chewing his food.

"I love it! I'm still not perfect with my Korean, but at least a lot of people know English here."

"Yeah your Korean got a lot better, I noticed you laughing at Jin's jokes he told last night. You understood every word?"

"Yes, I just have really bad pronunciation, so sometimes people don't understand me."

"I got that a lot too when I first moved to Seoul, because of my Daegu accent. You'll catch on fast, you're smart." Taehyung said with a wink.

"Thanks." I said grinning.

"Listen Cora I feel really bad about Jin forgetting you, but don't worry he will come around, I know it! It took him months to remember his family and even longer to remember me and Jungkook. It was like a light bulb lit up. One moment he was treating us like strangers, and the next he jumped up and hugged us saying he loved us. With you being here, he will remember you soon!" Taehyung said encouragingly.

"I know, I'm trying to stay positive." I said with a meek smile.

"There's something I wanted to tell you today." Taehyung said slowly as he watched my expression.

Oh boy what now?

"Me and Jungkook have decided to join the military together soon." Taehyung continued.

"What?" I blurted out in shock. "Oh right it's the time you need to enlist!"

"Yeah I was supposed to go with Jimin, but Jungkook made me promise to go with him." Taehuyng said with a sadness behind his words.

"I'm going to miss you guys! I just got here and now you're both leaving me!" I whined as felt like I was being left behind.

"I know, I'm sorry noona! But the others are getting out soon. Jimin, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Namjoon all enlisted together so they will be released together soon." Taehyung said with enthusiasm.

"Oh wow really!" I exclaimed, "I've been wanting to meet the rest of the BTS members for a while."

"Yes, so right after they are discharged, we will all be going. I want you to meet everyone, I know they will love you."

"I can't wait to meet them, when will they be released?" I asked excitedly.

"Tomorrow."

"Oh wow, that's fast."

"Yeah so tomorrow, let's all go and greet them when they get out ok?"

"Yes of course!"

We finished our lunch and Taehyung had paid for the bill before I could even attempt to pay.

"Hey! I have to pay for my meal!"I objected.

"Why? I'm the one that invited you out." Taehyung said.

"But this wasn't a date, I have to pay for my own meal!" I argued.

"Well it was $500 for your dish, you still want to pay?" Taehyung asked with a smirk.

"Wait, what?!" My mouth dropped.

I couldn't believe that food I just ate was worth that much!

"See that's why I paid." Taehyung said chuckling.

"Fine, but I'm paying next time." I narrowed my eyes at Taehyung.

"Ok fair enough."

Taehyung drove me to my job and as I started to thank him, he placed his hand over mine.

Oh boy...

"Cora I'm still here for you if you ever need anything." Taehyung said looking into my eyes so deeply, I almost had to look away.

I paused and thought of what to say. I decided it was best to ignore his advances.

"Thank you Taehyung, I really appreciate it." I gently moved my hand away and quickly got out of his car like nothing had happened. As he drove off I saw him watching me through his rear view mirror. I waved to him and went inside my workplace.

"Who was that?" The receptionist, asked me her eyes like saucers.

"Oh just a friend." I replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah sure, nice friend you got there." She replied sarcastically.

"Yeah he's great." I said ignoring her sarcasm.