Ohhhhhhh they're fangirls. The stink eye makes it obvious. She understands now.

Okay, she can do this, all she has to do is be the bad guy who is keeping the hot boy away from them. Easy.

"I don't think we have time for single pictures," she says apologetically, shutting down the attempt to make this a photo shoot right there, and giving Tae-gun the opening to apologetically say they're busy. But he can still let them have one with all of them if he wants to be merciful.

—good job, Kim Hye-jin, you're a fast learner.

"We unfortunately don't have a lot of time," he agrees, bowing. "But we can take a very quick one with the group."

Awww mannnn.

Still, better than nothing. Peace fingers everyone! Kim Hye-jin isn't invited! Cheese!

Cheese indeed. 

"Please have a lovely evening," he says, and starts to stride off with purpose again.

(But they do catch a "He likes girls???" "I know what the hell!" "He's so dreamy, though..." "Yeah, he looks even better in person, I didn't know that was possible..." exchange on their way away, courtesy of esper hearing.)

Ignoring that in favor of, yep, walking with purpose!

She'd like to apologize for being a dumbass when it comes to his celebrity status, but that'll have to wait until they are actually not in public anymore, probably.

The restaurant Tae-gun took them to is substantially more professional about it; if the maître d' is excited about meeting him they're not showing it at all. Here's a booth for them, here's the menu, it's also available on their website, they can press this button to call a waiter or just order on the website itself using this code.

Oh, good. Thank you!

And then, the minute they're alone:

"Sorry, I'm, uh, not used to the... celebrity thing. I'd honestly forgotten."

"Oh. It's fine. It took me a while to get used to it, too. And you did really well with the girls just now, I was going to say exactly the same thing."

"Thank you. I wish I hadn't gotten you into that situation in the first place, though. At first I thought they might know you, from the - oppa thing - but then when they started glaring at me I realized what was going on."

"Oh. That's just what fangirls call celebrities they like."

"With context I now understand that! It was just. Not a thing that would have happened in Japan, I don't think, it's so. ... Cringe? It's cringe."

"Wouldn't it? I thought J-pop was about the same. I guess I don't know if Japanese espers follow the tradition the same way..."

"So, yes, we do have the J-pop culture for espers, but it's also... we're very Japanese? The high pitched fangirl noises are for use with one's esper body pillow and like minded friends, and in - designated fan zones, like if the person is doing autographs or at a convention or something. Calling someone oppa on the street is just." She makes a face. "Overstepping to a huge degree."

"I instead expect it would have been more - shyly asking for one picture, apologizing profusely for wasting their time, bowing constantly, and then fleeing to then giggle. Or whispering to each other while not working up the courage to really interrupt them. Instead of, uh. That."

"...sounds a lot nicer, honestly."

"I mean, to be fair, I have not been on the other end of the Japanese celebrity esper thing yet, and I was really never an esper fangirl. I don't think I have full context to really firmly say. Just - that's what I would expect. With, you know, occasional crazy deviations, like everywhere else."

"Yeah. Well, um. I... I should probably have, um, checked that with you. That you were okay with this. I kind of just assumed, but..."

"The - celebrity element to being a professional combat esper? I mean I don't love it and won't pretend to, but, I was already planning to get into this before I met you, so?"

"Yeah, but you'd—have had time to adjust. With me you're kind of jumping into the deep end. So to speak."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess." Shrug. "Honestly the - parasocial fangirls being angry at me for 'stealing' you will probably be easier to handle than... what would it have been before, trying to ship me with people that vaguely have an opposing element to their powers to them? Getting upset with me if I ever had a second partner after the first? All of the weird reaction is devoted to stuff that isn't really about me, this way. I hope, anyway. We'll... see how I do I guess? I can always go the route of being a house partner or something, quietly rack up backlash doing ovenless baking or something away from the public eye." She does not sound at all enthused about this prospect. Not even a little.

"...that would be such a waste of your powers, though!!!"

Giggle!!!

"I agree! I think I'd be best as a combat esper! But if I'm going to be a combat esper then this was always going to happen, right, and really my only out would be leaving the public eye entirely. Also this way I have, uh. Help? Support?"

"...yeah. I guess you do."

"Yeah." She beams at him, then - yes actually they should get to ordering some of that fabled food that's on offer, she is kind of hungry.