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To say Jimin was bored would be an understatement. He was bored out of his mind. Nothing good came out of his boredom and he was pretty sure that Hoseok and Tae were now positively scared every time he approaches them saying he’s bored.
The first time it happened, the three of them went to a summer camp together. Being friends since forever, or at least that’s what it felt like, it was natural that they all went together. They had been about eleven with Hoseok being twelve. Jimin was utterly bored of his mind, so he came up with this brilliant idea to dress up as ghosts and scare people during their evening scavenger hunt in the forest. They had rounded up every sheet they could find in their bunk beds and started putting their plan to motion. Blame him for being naïve because come evening and all three of them ended up getting lost, and had search parties sent for them. They were found crouching under a tree robed up in white sheets with scary faces drawn on them with markers, wailing loudly. The camp leader had put them under house arrest for nearly two days before they came back apologizing.
The second time it happened, they were in high school. Hobi and Tae were now well aware of any consequences they would have to bear for going along with Jimin and all the marvelous plans he came up with. They had holidays after their finals before the new session started. He had been going through his rebellious phase and decided it would be fun to sneak out at night and paint graffiti on the nearest closed down warehouse. Hobi and Tae though hesitant before, finally gave in to Jimin and his whims and followed him. Just as they had started spraying, a guard, who they quite couldn’t see in the dark, pulled them by their collars and dragged them back to their houses. Well, the results had not been in their favor when their parents found out. “Hobi, you're older than them, at least you should have known better”. Well he had known better, just wasn’t able to make the other two understand.
Now they were in college sharing the same dorm room as expected. As soon as their mid sem exams were over, neither of them was even found in his vicinity. Hobi off to his hometown to visit his family and Tae spending suspicious amount of time with his theatre group and especially one broad shouldered Kim Seokjin. Both of them knowing perfectly well that Jimin would soon be showing the symptoms of acute boredom, they took off. So here he was, Park Jimin, a 21 year old college student with nothing going on in his life!
Me:
Where are you?
Taebear:
Theatre room
Me:
When will u b back?
Taebear:
Idk
Me:
I am BOOREEDDDD
Taebear:
Go out alone
A Date with yourself
😉
Me:
Ughh FINE
Gonna bring food
Taebear:
😙
So, Jimin got up, dressed himself and went out apparently on a date with himself. It was a pleasant morning. He walked around the road, humming a tune softly and watching the people walk by on their daily chores. He got coffee for himself and decided to visit the mall, maybe finally get some shopping done for himself.
It was then he came around the university library located a bit off campus. It was a bit old but had defined architecture making it seem somewhat secluded and mysterious. When curiosity got the better of him, he entered the library, his plan to visit the mall long forgotten.
The inside of the building was actually very modest. It seemed like he had come to a separate dimension all together. Rounding staircases on both sides and rows and rows of books on each shelf, seeming like an endless maze. The soft foam cushions lined on either side with a fair number of students sitting, reading, sometimes chattering or typing away on their laptops, with the only sound of pages being turned in the background.
He decided to go to the cultural history section, maybe try out some new book he hasn’t come across when he eyes caught the figure of a tall man. He felt like somebody had punched the air out of his lungs. The man a lean stature with a rather small and soft face, his eyes shaped in perfect almond like curves and his nose was small and cute. He was wearing a pastel pink shirt and black round glasses sat atop his nose. It went rather well with his silver white hair. It gave off a very soft and comfy vibe. He was standing there arranging the books when he glanced up at Jimin who stood there, frozen and dazed.
“ May I help you with something?”
“ Oh fuck me.”
His voice was smooth and rich in complete contrast with his overall look. It draped across Jimin like a freshly washed silken sheet.
“Excuse me?”
Fuck think! Anything! Books! Talk about books!
“Yeah! You, uh- I was looking for some recommendations?”
He smiled and he saw two deep dimples emerge in the center of his cheeks. God some people weren’t lucky enough to have one and this guy had two?!
“ What genre would you like?”
“ What do you like?”
He blushed a little at this.
“ I like literature and philosophy, which I’m majoring at”.
Okay, so he was a university student.
“Since if you want to try, I'll be basic and suggest you Shakespeare.”
Jimin coughed a fit. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
His face fell at this but soon he smiled again trying to hide his disappointment. “Now that you say it, it might be”.
“ You know what, give it to me. I'll take it.”
He shrugged. It’s the first step to literature. How hard could it be? He can get through it.
He could not get through it. And it was a lot harder than it seemed.
He had come home with Hamlet, his eyes burning with passion to get through this, his mind swirling with the thoughts of a dimpled man. He went straight to his room shutting the door, without even sparingly at Tae who was heavily engrossed in making out with Seokjin.
It had been two days since Jimin went to the library after he had come home with the book. Two day since he came out of his room except to fulfill his basic necessities of eating and showering much to Tae’s concern growing. And at the stroke of midnight he finally heaved a sigh of relief upon finishing the play.
The next day he was found waiting at the entrance of the library before its opening time. He was jittery and almost jumping on his feet when he caught sight of the older man.
“ You came”, he said with his signature warm smile.
“Yup”, Jimin answered as they went inside together.
Jimin waited patiently at one of the tables when he came to join in with two cups of coffee in his hands.
“Cannot begin my day without my daily shot of caffeine. Sorry if it’s too strong”, he apologized as he took the seat opposite to Jimin.
“So”, he began, “how did you like it?”
Jimin cleared his throat ready to set his plan in motion. See he had come prepared with one quotation memorized to recite to the older and try to ask him out. His plan almost had no flaws.
“Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love.”
He laughed gently. “Yes, I like that one line too. It’s very sweet. I see that you have been thorough with your reading, but did you like the climax? How perfectly ironic it was that his mother died of the poison her husband poured in the goblet, the same man she lost her late husband to?”
Okay maybe his plan had a flaw. This man had an extremely oblivious streak. Maybe he will have to try harder.
So he came back with another recommendation, The Tempest. In the midst of all this a shocking realization thundered upon him. He did not ask for his name yet! So he sat down with another book, ready to go through it all to impress him and finally get his name too.
He liked this one. It had humor, a fantasy concept and comparatively easier language. So he showed up at the library two days later with the book in his hand. The dimpled cutie was wearing an oversized sweater typing at the computer, his sweater peeking out. Jimin swooned at the sight and fought down his urge to kiss his forehead.
“Hey! You’re here”, he looked at Jimin and he felt his heart melt into a puddle of warmth.
“How did you like it?”
Jimin prepared himself mentally. Gotta be perfect this time.
“I do beseech you- chiefly that I may set it in my prayers- what is your name?”
He looked taken aback for a moment. Jimin could see his brain gear whirring, trying to process it all. Then he blushed and tried to cover his face in embarrassment. If Jimin had not been turned into a puddle of goo before, he was definitely now.
“Namjoon. Kim Namjoon.”
“Park Jimin.”, he smiled his eyes turning into tiny crescents.
They spent the entire day together, talking about everything beginning from their classes to their favorite holiday destinations. Jimin came to know that this man, Namjoon, was so fucking perfect. He was exactly one year and one day older than Jimin, attending the same college with philosophy and literature as his double majors. He was not only sweet but also so smart. He faced a lot of resistance while choosing his major, his teachers and parents trying to convince him to take up medicine but Namjoon persisted and here he was. The most surprising thing about him was that he was really into rapping and even had made a name for himself within the underground rappers. He was co-composing an album with another music major, Min Yoongi , which was supposed to be released on sound cloud. Jimin's affection for the older man grew with each passing day but Namjoon stayed just as oblivious.
The next book he read was of Shakespearean sonnets. Surprisingly he turned out to be a sonnet type of person. They were compact, smooth flowing and more meaningful.
So when he caught Namjoon at the park sitting on a lone bench surrounded by squirrels, he wasted no opportunity and approached him. On closer inspection he saw he also had birds perched on his shoulders and he was talking to them as if they could understand his words. Jimin sat down next to him and said,
“More flowers I noted, yet I none could see
But sweet or color it had stolen from thee.”
Namjoon just smiled shyly, not even perturbed by his sudden appearance. They shared a comfortable silence together till they couldn’t find their faces visible to one another, blanketed by the darkness.
Jimin decided however this would be his last try. If he failed, he would give up, and would be satisfied to have Namjoon in his life as just a friend. So he went to the library, his heart thumping in his ribcage threating to jump out. He peeked inside and his face faltered when he couldn’t find him inside. He steeled his nerve, peeled a note out of his bag, scraped a few lines and left after putting it inside the book.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”
Jimin was halfway to his dorms when he felt his name being called out at a distance. Shrugging it off as his mindless thoughts he walked on ahead when suddenly he was pulled back with a hand on his wrist.
“ Did you mean that?”
Standing in front of him was none other than Namjoon, his hair peeking in all directions, face sweaty and chest puffing, clearly showing how fast he ran here. But Jimin thought Namjoon never looked better with the sunlight glistening his face like pearls on the sea floor.
“Mean what?”
Namjoon showed him the note, his eyes holding the gaze expectantly.
“Yes.”
Namjoon smiled so wide he felt that his cheeks might start hurting.
Warmth bloomed in his chest and a sudden bravado took over him as he put his hands around Namjoon’s neck.
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?”
Namjoon smiled at him, “You have witchcraft in your lips”.
Namjoon bent a little to peck him. Their lips met in sweet urgency. Jimin moving his tongue over his lower lip, trying to imprint every groove of his lips in his mind. Namjoon put his arms around Jimin and pulled him closely tilting his head to get just the perfect angle. Their lips slotted together lazily like they had all the time in the world. Jimin moved his hand to tug at the baby strands near his nape. As they parted, Jimin saw Namjoon’s eyes sparkling with fondness.
“ Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.”
Jimin needn’t be told twice . He stood on his tip toes and their lips met once again.