Chapter Text
“......Jeongguk? Jeongguk?”
“Hyung ssshhh it’s getting good...”
Yoongi huffed irritably as he continued to wipe the tables in front of the counter with unparalleled vengeance, watching as Seokjin strode past the coffee shop to return back to his flower shop. If Jeongguk was going to be distracted by the pretty flower shop owner and his (“amazing, crafted in God’s likeness, sweet, sweet”) ass one more time and burn the expensive Ethiopian beans one more time he was really going to--
“Aish hyung! Why didn’t you tell me that the beans were burning!”
That was it. He didn’t care if Jeongguk could whip up another amazing ‘house-blend’ to add to the special menu with the previously-thought-as unsalvageable beans. They were running out of reasons for the gradual increase in novelty drinks and Yoongi was running out of patience watching Jeongguk salivate into his coffee. If nobody, not even Namjoon, responsible coffee shop owner extraordinaire with degrees in everything except keeping things in one piece, was going to take action, he was going to do it himself.
If Yoongi knew this was going to happen, he would not have taken pity on the runt and offered to get him a job here. Truth to be told, the quaint little coffee shop wasn’t really in need of an extra barista. With Yoongi and Hoseok around to do the work and Namjoon dropping by and possibly dropping something, the coffee shop was thriving comfortably.
Yoongi first heard about Jeongguk from Taehyung. Hailing from Daegu as well, Yoongi always felt that Taehyung reminded him of the softer aspects of home- the younger’s smile was akin to the fresh mornings where he would take the subway from Daegu Station to Chilseong Market, grab a vegetable mandu and start the day’s marketing. His bright demeanour was like the scorching sun that beat tirelessly against his back as he trudged from the Daegu Station back home nearing noon, two parts frustrating and one part odd companionship. Attending the same college in Seoul away from home had pushed them together, leading to the start of a friendship Yoongi would quietly appreciate. Taehyung was almost the complete opposite of him- effervescent, loud, positively terminally delightful. Perhaps it was because of that that they complemented each other so well. Taehyung would visit Yoongi in his apartment every weekend, making sure Yoongi was still alive and breathing and eating his meals, as well as to fill up his quota of exuberant noisiness for a week. Yoongi would in turn offer a listening ear, snorting at yet another story of wild youth life chock-full of drunken mishaps, or offer some wise advice that he knew Taehyung probably was going to forget within the next minute. Really, that kid was a walking hazard.
That particular week, however, Taehyung had entered without his usual loud kick of the door and holler of “YOONGI-HYUNG YOUR LIFE YOUR SAVIOUR IS BACK AGAIN!”. Instead, he opened the door with a slow push and collapsed on the sofa with a long, dramatic, drawn-out sigh. Yoongi ambled to the living room with a raised eyebrow, two coffee mugs in hand. It was his firm belief that coffee could assuage any troubled heart.
“What’s got your panties in a twist Tae?”
Yoongi proffered the steaming mug to Taehyung and took a seat next to him. It was disconcerting to see a frown on the younger’s face, to say the least. A myriad of possibilities flooded through Yoongi’s mind. A bad test score? Couldn’t be, the irritating genius could even get by with studying the wrong topic the day before a major test. Break-ups? He wasn’t dating as far as he knew. Did he knock a girl up? My god, Yoongi thought as he broke out into cold sweat momentarily thinking, how the hell was this kid going to raise another kid--
“Ya hyung I didn’t just knock up some random girl! Stop worrying about it already I can see it etched on your face and your lack of trust in me is making me even sadder!”
Taehyung slumped further into the couch with a mock pout following the indignant declaration. For him to still be joking meant that the situation mustn't be very serious, Yoongi thought as he exhaled slowly, letting go of the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He then prodded Taehyung in the rib lightly, encouraging him to speak up. The younger placed his mug down onto the coffee table with an air of theatrical solace, before clearing his throat to speak.
“It’s not about me this time hyung...do you remember my room-mate Jeongguk?”
Yoongi had some vague recollection of a muscle-bound boy with a charming smile but nearly no social skills to speak of. His awkwardness could hold a decent fight with Yoongi’s own in a battle of eye-contact avoidance. Possibly even win.
“He’s been trying to find a job to pay off tuition fees and you know how he’s like, he can’t even say 5 words without stammering. You can imagine how badly his job interviews go! It really hasn’t been easy for him especially since his family isn’t very well off, and for me, his emphatic and soft-hearted best friend, to watch him suffer--”
Taehyung raised his hand to clutch his chest, looking very much like Rose calling out for Jack in Titanic. Yoongi didn’t bother to conceal his snort, and Taehyung didn’t bother to grant him any acknowledgement of it either.
“--it pains my heart to see him so distressed.”
A slight pause, as Taehyung angled himself to face Yoongi better.
“And Yoongi-hyung here is the most magnanimous, kind, loving hyung out there, right?”
Wait, why was this about him suddenly?! Yoongi abruptly turned to look at Taehyung in surprise, only to be attacked by a full ensemble of The Taehyung Puppy Eyes. Damn him, his ancestors, Taehyung, Taehyung’s ancestors, Jeon Jeongguk as well as his ancestors-- he could feel a huge plead for favour ready to spill out of the younger’s lips and into Yoongi’s lap. Call it ESPN, or call it being Taehyung’s Seoul-based guardian for the past 3 years. Time, unfortunately, didn’t make him any less immune to the large watery eyes and slight pout. With a sigh heavy enough to be tangible, he nodded his head and waved his hand for Taehyung to continue. Instantaneously, he could feel the stupid brat’s mood lighten ten-fold. That was a green-light, an a-okay sign, a sign that half the battle was won already, even if Yoongi would deny that to hell and back.
“So….do you think you could get Jeongguk a job at the coffee shop you work at? I promise he’s obedient and a fast learner! And I’ll even buy you lamb skewers every Saturday for the rest of this month if you do it!”
Taehyung looked at Yoongi expectantly, his eyes huge and shining. How could Yoongi say no to him? More importantly, how could Yoongi say no to a month’s supply of free lamb skewers?
“......I’ll ask Namjoonie about it.”
“Thanks hyung!!! I always knew you are the most reliable hyung ever!”
Taehyung flashed his signature boxy smile instantly, before bounding off to the kitchen to unpack the food he brought while singing some butchered version of Lady Marmalade. Yoongi rubbed his temples, wondering what crime he had committed in his past to have to be chained to Taehyung in this life. That was when the revelation hit him square.
“Wait you brat, isn’t this already the second last Saturday of the month?”
As Taehyung had said, Jeon Jeongguk was indeed a fast learner. Within a week, he had already mastered all that was on the menu, and was starting to experiment and create his own new drinks. Yoongi hated to admit it, but the boy really was a good addition to the shop. It was kind of nice to get to slack off with this additional pair of rather eager hands trying to run the whole show. But more than that, the kid was endearing in the way a deer in headlights could be, if the deer was 5”10 and laughed like an overexcited seal. With his earnest demeanour, wide eyes and disarming smile, sales no doubt improved as word spread of the cute barista at the coffee shop down the street near college. When asked, all Jeongguk did was scratch his head as a blush bloomed, saying that he’d rather these students come because the coffee was good, rather than for his looks.
No doubt he started to grow on Hoseok and Namjoon. Hoseok made it a point to gush about the boy on a daily basis, earning him exasperated eye-rolls from Yoongi and extreme secondhand embarrassment from Namjoon and Jeongguk himself. Namjoon even jokingly commented that he’d cream Hoseok if he called Jeongguk “Golden Barista” one more time. Not that Namjoon was any better- his daily visits incorporated a special segment of sharing his ‘nuggets of wisdom’ with Jeongguk, who diligently listened to everything he had to say. Whether it was because he genuinely was interested in what Namjoon had to say, or because high school trained him well in the art of pretending to listen was up for debate. Even Yoongi himself warmed up to Jeongguk quicker than he expected, nagging the younger boy to go for his allotted lunch breaks (“we did fine without you before you came, we’re going to be fine if you feed yourself and humour Tae for 30min”) and walking him back to his dorm after his shifts.
A new equilibrium was thus set, until the damned flower shop opened.
It all started when Namjoon dropped by one fine morning with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, trying to find some sort of vase to place the flowers in. Yoongi and Hoseok turned to each other with matching raised eyebrows and a smirk on their faces.
“Namjoonie, where did you get those flowers?” Hoseok said, while waggling his eyebrows.
“Or more like, who gave you those flowers?” Yoongi teased while trying to find the next best alternative- an empty container.
Namjoon rolled his eyes while continuing his fruitless search.
“My FRIEND opened a flower shop just two shops down this street and I thought I would purchase a bouquet and place it here for decoration, you know, to show support for a FRIEND.”
Namjoon made sure to emphasise the last word loud and clear, ignoring the sniggering that surrounded him.
When it was certain that the small shop was void of any suitable container to hold the flowers, the boys collectively sighed.
“How about I give Jeongguk a ring and ask him to bring one from his dorm or something? His shift doesn’t start till an hour later, so he should still be home.” Hoseok suggested.
“I’ll be surprised if he can even find clean underwear in that mess of a place, let alone a vase. But sure, give it a go.” Yoongi said while plopping onto a seat nearby. The day had barely started and he was already tired, all thanks to this fervent manhunt for a container.
“Meanwhile Joonie can just hold the bouquet in his hands and model like it’s part of the Gucci Spring Summer collection while we start setting up!” Hoseok giggled while high-fiving Yoongi for the ingenious idea.
“Sometimes I wonder why I hire such people…..” Namjoon said under his breath as he obediently stood behind the counter with the bouquet in his hands.
Less than an hour later, the three of them were greeted with the sight of a sweaty, flushed Jeongguk holding a glass vase in his hands stumbling into the coffee shop. Placing the vase on the table top, he placed his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
“Thank goodness you came early, I was starting to fossilise and turn into a statue alrea-- Jeongguk are you okay?”
“Hyung…...wow I just.....”
The three of them looked at him questioningly, watching the boy’s glazed eyes, a mix of awe-struck adoration and pure horror painted on his face. Yoongi nudged Hoseok in the rib and whispered fiercely, “See I told you not to make him find a vase, he probably found it while scavenging but dropped his brain in the mess instead.” Namjoon stood rooted with the flowers half-nestled in the vase, half-crushed in his hands.
“I-I swear I saw an angel…..he had the most beautiful pink hair I have ever seen a-and the plushest lips created in God’s likeness….a-and….”
Jeongguk had the decency to blush while pausing.
“....that ass hyung, that ass--”
Before the trio could react, a tall man with shoulders that ran on for miles barged into the shop unceremoniously. Breathless, he walked towards Jeongguk with his arm outstretched. In his hand was a familiar-looking phone.
“Ah, you dropped your phone in the shop just now! I was going to tell you but you ran out of the shop so quickly…..”
Jeongguk’s face could have rivalled a tomato in that very instance. He quickly took the phone from the man’s hands, murmured a quick ‘thank you’ before rushing into workroom, door slamming behind him.
“Seokjin-hyung! I was going to invite you here later on, but I see you’ve somehow found yourself in here anyway….”
“Well this cute kid here-”
Seokjin pointed in the direction of the workroom. A pair of eyes that had been peeking through the gap the ajar door had left suddenly widened and the door slammed once again.
“-came into my shop asking for some sort of vase to hold a large bouquet of flowers. Being the absolutely prepared individual that I am, I quickly found him a vase and passed it to him. Ya, before I could even get his name the boy bolted out of the shop! He must be some sort of athlete because he sure ran as fast as lightning!”
Seokjin recounted the story with eyes as round as saucers and hand actions expressive enough to put Jim Carrey to shame.
Ah, so this was Jeongguk’s angel with the perky butt. He quickly bounced forward to shake Hoseok and Yoongi’s hands vigorously.
“Sorry to rudely interrupt your work! I’m Seokjin by the way, Namjoon’s college friend, owner of the flower shop down the road! Most people call me Jin or Jinnie or Mr Worldwide Handsome because--”
Seokjin proceeded to break out into a dashing, slightly cheesy smile while striking a flower-hands pose.
Hoseok broke out into a giggle, Yoongi tried his best to keep a straight face while Namjoon brought his hand to his face while sighing.
“I’m Hoseok and the grumpy imp next to me is Yoongi! Nice to meet you too!”
“How dare you Hobi, just wait till we….”
Before the squabbling could start, Namjoon interjected quickly and drily.
“Yes and I am Namjoon; don’t you have work to do Jinnie? Hurry along, we can save this conversation for later, I don’t want our Jeongguk to have to rot in the workroom for too long.”
“Oh, is that the cute kid’s name? Okay then I’ll hurry along! Remember our dinner date at 7 later, you can bring them along too! See you!”
Seokjin backed out slowly as he spoke, eyes crinkling into crescents. No lie, he was extremely attractive, Yoongi had to give him that. Rather entertaining too. He left the coffee shop, but not before blowing a flying kiss to the the three.
“Jeongguk-ah! You can come out already, Jin-hyung has left.”
A loud bang reverberated from the workroom, and a slightly disheveled Jeongguk came tumbling out. The three older guys simultaneously burst out laughing as the younger hid his burning face behind his hands.
"So.....angel with a great ass huh?"
"Shut up hyung."
The following few days were nothing much out of the norm, save for Seokjin popping by each morning to pass them a fresh bouquet of flowers to place inside the glass vase that they seemed to have adopted. Turns out, Seokjin was whacky as can be, and his repertoire of bad dad jokes never seemed to end.
“Good morning folks! Here’s your daily dose of the best jokes in town! What do you give a cannibal when he's late for supper?”
“........”
“A cold shoulder!”
Cue Seokjin’s maniacal laughter and collective frustration by the rest.
“I just don’t understand the appeal Hobi, I just don’t…..”
Yoongi stage-whispered to Hoseok while looking at Jeongguk. Speaking of Jeongguk, Yoongi thought that he would be having a field day every day with Seokjin’s daily appearances at the shop. Instead, the poor kid took to hiding behind coffee grinders and tall bottles of syrup to avoid looking Seokjin in the eye. Thankfully, as the visits paid increased, Jeongguk slowly started to stand up straighter and carry on with his work without accidentally knocking over yet another carton of milk.
That didn’t mean that his thirst was any less quenched. Bless the child, Yoongi thought, for subtlety wasn’t his strong suite at all. His heart eyes were ready to jump out and embrace Seokjin every time he set foot in the coffee shop. He probably even found those dad jokes funny. To add on to that, the coffee shop faced the main street, which meant that any time Seokjin walked past, skinny jeans stretching across his firm muscles sinfully, meant that Jeongguk’s eyes were on their way to popping out of their sockets. Heck, the kid probably knew each cotton fibre that hugged Seokjin’s ass.
Once the Free Art Exhibition was over, Jeongguk would then slum against the nearest sturdy vertical surface and mope. Not for an hour or two, or even three- but the entire day. Yoongi was starting to wonder how much he could pay Seokjin to make him walk anywhere but pass their shop. It wasn’t like Jeongguk wanted to talk about the situation either. When asked, all he did was vehemently deny while shaking his head and hollering “Next question!” Now, one would not call Yoongi an impatient man. Far from it. You couldn’t possibly be impatient if you had to deal with Kim Taehyung daily. No, he definitely wasn’t. However, his two biggest pet peeves were public display of affection (nevermind if it’s one-sided or not) and incompetency. Jeongguk’s current pining ass was making the list and checking it twice. All the more incentive to change status quo, Yoongi schemed, while coming up with a solid plan. Mission Get-Jeongguk-Hitched, ready for execution.