Chapter Text
Seokjin knows how much ARMY was looking forward to the first in-person fansign event. Due to the pandemic, meeting their fans have suddenly been reduced to live screen events. The first few concerts they have begun to do in 2021 and earlier in 2022 finally allowed them to hear international ARMY’s fan chants in person. Now that they’re back in Korea, this was a special fansign event, exclusive to the first 1,000 ARMY members and all of BTS were excited to meet them.
Still in accordance to social distancing protocols, all seven members were placed in a cubicle just like in one of their concerts in Japan when they shook hands with ARMY in person. Behind Seokjin, his manager and bodyguard stood by.
The fans trickled in slowly and Seokjin was elated to meet them one by one. He soon lost count as to how many of the fans he has spoken to, received letters or autographed CDs.
After taking a sip of water, he smiled brightly to the new fan seated in front of him. She was wearing sunglasses and a face mask. Seokjin’s manager motioned to her that she can remove her sunglasses and so she did.
Suddenly, there was a flicker of recognition in those deep brown eyes.
"Please sign this for my daughter. Her name is Jin-Ae and she’s a huge fan,” she hastily mumbled without as much as looking at Seokjin.
Seokjin, on the other hand, can't take his eyes off from her.
The young woman in front of him kept her eyes down and seemed to be nervous. She had long wavy hair curled and styled. Barely any make-up but he could see that she was quite beautiful. Seokjin smiled sweetly and signed the cd album she gave him. The young woman mumbled a thank you and started to take the album away from him but Seokjin held on to it.
"Wait. Please. Please look at me,” he murmured for only her to hear.
The woman looked at Seokjin in surprise and then maybe with a bit of terror. Seokjin had a gut feel that she was his ex-girlfriend Ari, so he tried to hold on to the album but it slipped from his fingers and the woman abruptly stood up and walked away from him.
Seokjin hastily stood up to follow her but he was surrounded almost at once by his manager and bodyguard.
"Jin, is something the matter?", his manager asked.
"No, uh, I just thought that I knew her. She looked very familiar," Seokjin sat back down and continued with the fansign event. He mumbled his apologies to the next fan waiting for him while he conversed with his manager and continued his work.
*******
Seokjin was thankful that Yoongi merely proceeded to nod off the moment they got in the van. During the ride back home, he still could not get the young woman out of his mind.
Shimizu Ari was his ex-girlfriend during college. She was four years older than him but when he first saw her, he fell for her hard. Half Japanese and half Korean, they met in one of those company events his family had to attend for business. Her family was based in Japan but she decided to settle in South Korea to pursue her master’s degree in banking and finance. She was funny and sweet throughout the dinner. Seokjin have never met anyone like her. She was so kind and pure that when she mentioned that she was staying in Korea for her master’s degree, he couldn’t contain his joy.
He asked for her number and pretty soon, they were meeting up in cafés, getting to know each other, taking walks along the Han river and falling in love. Ari became his and Seokjin became hers. And for the next two years, Seokjin’s dreams were those of becoming an actor, getting married to Ari and living happily ever after with their children.
Destiny or fate seemed to have other plans.
After being discovered and joining Big Hit, Seokjin began to replace those dreams with new ones. New dreams of debuting with six other boys who now look up to him. New dreams of performing on stage with them and giving happiness to fans with their music. Ari noticed this and knew that she can’t be the person who will hold him back from achieving those dreams.
She eventually broke up with him especially after BTS debuted because it was just difficult to maintain a relationship with a budding new idol. They never kept in touch because she said that wanted a clean break-up.
Seokjin recalled memories of their relationship with fondness. She was his first love, first kiss and first everything. He wondered if she was now married. Or with kids. The woman may have looked like Ari but he couldn't really be sure. It has been 7 years since their break-up and thought it was amicable, Ari was adamant that no contact will be made after their relationship ended.
That actually hurt Seokjin a lot because he was so in love with her and didn’t fully understood why the break-up was necessary even if he was an idol. Still, he respected her decision and agreed to her condition of no contact.
His phone suddenly began to vibrate and Seokjin smiled after he saw who the caller was.
"Yeobo, are you home now?"
“I’m on my way now, babe.”
Seokjin considered himself lucky and blessed to have Jungkook in his life. After his break-up with Ari, he drowned in self-doubt and self-pity. Finding a reason to continue being an idol was like grasping at straws. Each day, he felt like suffocating in his depression. He second guessed everything he did or did not do.
It was Jungkook who saved him.
Plagued by dark thoughts of not being good enough for anyone, Jungkook pulled him out of that hell. Their friendship only deepened over time and to his surprise and delight, they fell in love and have been together for the past 4 years now.
As happy and content as he was, Seokjin still made a mental note to call his college friends and ask about Ari. He guessed that maybe now, they can reconnect again coz after all, you never really forget your first love.