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When you think of intimidating places, a coffee shop isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
That’s exactly what Kim Namjoon thinks when he steps through the doors of a quaint little coffee shop, smack dab right in the middle of Seoul.
He’s greeted by familiar scents, the aromas of different blends of coffees usually draping a blanket of calmness over him.
Not today. Today is different. Today is the day that Namjoon is meeting up with an old friend, and old friend that he hasn’t seen in nearly eight years.
Kim Seokjin. His childhood best friend, the one who he was attached to the hip before his family moved away.
Namjoon cuts that thought off, shaking his head as if that’ll push it right out.
That’s wrong. It’s not Seokjin. It’s Jinhee, Kim Jinhee. He really has to get that right, before Namjoon makes a complete fool of himself and hurts his friend.
That’s the opposite of what he wants to do, he wants to make sure Jinhee knows he’s someone she can trust.
She. Because Kim Jinhee is a woman, always has been.
Namjoon just remembers how she used to be, he knew her as Seokjin. A woman trapped in the wrong body, but a woman nonetheless.
‘Don’t do anything stupid Namjoon, we talked this through. You’re a smart guy, use that big brain of yours and remember she’s still your friend. She. Your old best friend has always been a woman.’
The voice in his head sounds an awful lot like Min Yoonji, his best friend from America.
She’s been the biggest help for Namjoon, the first person he went to after getting in contact with Jinhee. He was going back home, finally moving back to South Korea after living in the states for a few years.
Namjoon has his own business, he’s a popular and now a well known producer. He’s finally made it big enough now where he can move back home, set up in Korea and continue his work and grow there.
He’d been hesitant to reach out to Jinhee. They’d hadn’t spoken in years, the complete opposite of how it had been before.
They used to be attached at the hip, never one seen without the other.
They had just lost contact, the friendship fading like most long distance ones sometimes tend to do. Especially when they now loved continents away.
They didn’t end on bad terms, Namjoon just didn’t know if it would be weird now to reach out.
He missed her a lot, always catching himself thinking about her at random times. They were as close as friends could be, and Namjoon really wanted to get that back.
He hopes that Jinhee feels the same.
So Namjoon had reached out to his mother, who still talked to Jinhee’s mom every now and then.
She was able to get Jinhee’s number, anxiety beginning to eat away at him as soon as he fired off a text message to her.
Namjoon nearly threw his phone when the sound of a texting coming in went off, scrambling to pick the device up before his fear driven courage left him.
It was Jinhee. Surprisingly, she seemed thrilled to meet up. Namjoon could sense no awkwardness, no underlying tension at all. Even with all the years between them.
Not even after she told him, wasting no time in letting Namjoon know that she was no longer Seokjin. She was her true self.
They made plans to meet up, at this tiny little family owned coffee shop she loved to visit.
Namjoon was out the door as soon as he finished talking to Jinhee, calling Yoonji and letting her know he had to meet up with her and Jeongha as soon as possible.
Jeon Jeongha is Yoonji’s girlfriend, and Namjoon was just as close to her as he was with Yoonji.
He really needed to talk to Jeongha more than anyone, the best person to help Namjoon with the questions he had.
Jeongha is a trans woman, out and living as her true self since she was eighteen.
Namjoon sighs deeply as he approaches the counter, ordering an americano for himself and a cinnamon latte for Jinhee.
He hopes it’s still her favorite drink, or one that she still drinks on occasion at the very least.
The conversation he had with Yoonji and Jeongha plays in his head, Namjoon leaning against the wall next to the station where his drinks will be called when ready.
His friends had been helpful, calmly and kindly explaining to him that Jinhee had never really been Seokjin.
She’s always been a woman, she’d always be a woman. She had just finally found the courage and strength she needed to tell everyone else.
Namjoon can admit to himself that he still is a little on edge, he really wants to try his best and make sure he doesn’t offend Jinhee in anyway.
He’s cisgender, he knows he’ll never understand Jinhee’s struggles and what she’s gone through. What she continues to go through.
Even after all of these years apart, Jinhee still means the absolute world to Namjoon.
To hurt her, even if it’s an accident? It’ll destroy him.
His name being called pulls Namjoon from his racing thoughts, turning to grab his drinks after muttering a soft ‘thank you’ to the barista.
He leaves a ten dollar tip in the little jar on the counter, walking towards a small corner of the restaurant he’s been eyeing since he arrived.
It’s a secluded booth, perfect for the two of them to catch up on in peace.
Namjoon takes a seat at the chair next to the window, the clear view of the street perfect to spot Jinhee when she gets here.
It must be the nerves getting to him, or maybe how he’s too focused on the way his foot anxiously taps away against the floor.
Namjoon is certain he would have heard her if not for those things.
“Namjoon-ah? Is that you?”
A delicate voice reaches his ears, Namjoon lifting his head to see the source of it.
Any words die off right in his throat, Namjoon laying eyes upon the most woman he’s ever seen in his life.
It’s a little strange to see, this woman reminding him of the Jinhee he remembers from so many years ago.
It’s still her, just different from what Namjoon remembers.
She stands in front of their table, hands clutched around the strap of her purse in a white fingered grip.
Jinhee looks nervous, a look that Namjoon wishes he could banish right off of her face.
He knows the longer he sits and stares, the more uncomfortable he’s making her.
She’s probably thinking the worst, thinks that Namjoon is wishing he'd never agreed to come.
There’s no way for Jinhee to know it’s the complete opposite, that it’s just Namjoon can’t find any words to say.
She’s tall, standing taller than him no doubt in the cute short, black heeled boots Namjoon can see peeking out from under the skirt she wears.
Jinhee’s long legs are covered by an ankle length dark brown skirt, cinched at her waist by a stylish black belt with a huge silver buckle.
Her torso is covered by a comfy, oversized cable knit cream sweater. The collar is big and cozy looking, Jinhee’s face tucked into the material as she looks upon him with anxious eyes.
Her hair is long and thick looking, Namjoon feeling a light blush creep over his cheeks when he suddenly feels the urge to run his fingers through the dark strands.
Namjoon gets up, feet carrying him over to pull Jinhee right into his arms.
“Noona. I’m… I’m happy to see you. I’m sorry for not asking to hug you, but I missed you so freaking much.”
Namjoon can feel the tension slowly drain out of Jinhee’s body, sagging slightly against him when she hears ‘Noona’ fall from his lips.
“That’s okay Joon-ah… I missed you too. Of course you can hug me…”
Namjoon closes his eyes when he starts to hear her voice grow wobbly, not trusting himself to speak in fear of his own emotions getting the best of him.
That all flies out the door though, as soon as he feels Jinhee’s arms wrap around his back.
She pulls him into a tight hug, holding onto Namjoon’s body like her life depends on it.
He keeps hugging her just as tight, not giving a damn if they’re causing any type of scene.
Namjoon finally has his best friend back, and he’s not letting her go for anything.