An Indescribable Feeling

Uncomfortable Celebrations

Her soulmates took Anna to a Korean restaurant where they had booked a private room. It was her first time in a Korean restaurant. The only ones near where she lived in the UK had been in London and Anna hadn't managed to visit one yet. She was excited to try some proper Korean food. Although she had tried cooking her own, some ingredients were hard to find, such as glass noodles for Japchae. At least she had practised her chopstick skills, so she was able to use them, but that didn't stop her from being self-conscious that she wasn't holding them correctly. The only thing she really had to worry about was the spiciness. Anna couldn't handle spicy food.

"Anna, why do you watch Taehyung?"

She looked up at Hoseok with an 'I've been caught' look on her face.

"Umm, I'm watching what he eats because I know it won't be too spicy."

As the others laughed Taehyung wrapped an arm around Anna.

"Don't worry. We stay together. They mean."

"Anna has an excuse since she isn't used to it, but you grew up with spicy food!"

While Jin and Taehyung bickered, Namjoon turned to Anna.

"What is your tolerance level?"

"I'm not really sure, not very high? I'm better than I used to be, but I tried, umm, I've forgotten what they're called, cold noodles?"

"Naengmyeon."

"They were instant ones from packet. They were really nice, but they were so spicy that I couldn't eat them."

The meal continued with the boys explaining what the dishes were and Anna trying the ones they deemed safe enough.

"Soju, Noona?"

"No thank you."

"Anna doesn't drink alcohol."

"How did you know that, Hyung?"

"At the post-concert meals, didn't you notice that she never drank?"

"No..."

"Anna, why?"

"Why don't I drink? Umm, a few reasons, I guess. For one, I don't like the taste. And two, I don't like the idea that it would affect the way I would act."

She looked around the table before stopping on Jimin.

"Basically, I don't want to."

The boys shared glances with each other as they had noticed the firmness in Anna's words.

"I imagine a lot of people have tried to convince you have a drink before?"

"Yeah..."

Anna sighed as she thought about all the times the topic of her not wanting to drink alcohol had come up in the past. Friends made jokes about slipping vodka in her water and had repeatedly tried to convince her just to have a drink, no matter how many times she said no.

"You don't need to justify yourself to us."

"We respect your choice."

Anna looked between Namjoon and Hoseok, before glancing around the table to see the rest of her soulmates nodding along.

"Stop nodding Jimin-Hyung. You have no idea what they said."

"Yah! I thought we had grown out of you picking on me maknae!"

"But it makes Noona smile."

Jimin looked over at Anna to see her smiling as she watched them.

"Anna like JK hurt me?"