Chapter Text
October: the first time they met
Jungkook loved fall. It was as cozy as it could get. Cold but not too cold, though enough to snuggle under a blanket comfortably. It was also the start of the Holiday season. Soon he’ll be able to place the orders for the Christmas collection of decorations they’ll sell at the store.
08:47am
Shit. He needed to hurry otherwise he’ll be late. He was the owner of the store and was in charge of opening. It was raining and if he was late, Taehyung, his employee, was going to have to wait under the heavy rain which nobody wanted.
Rain was annoying, but rain was also part of his favorite things about fall. He loved hearing it splatter against his window at night, or against his umbrella as he walked down the street like right now.
The streets were already so busy, everyone was heading to work. The morning buzz was not comparable to any other kind of rush. The evening rush was annoying, everybody was tired from their day, or week or whatever was wrong in their lives. But the morning one was always filled with a certain determination to tackle the day with nothing but confidence and success. It didn’t always work out that way, but the intention was there which made it Jungkook’s favorite part of the day.
He remembers the first time he met Taehyung during his freshman year in college. They were sharing a dorm. Taehyung had been the most peculiar guy Jungkook had ever met. The way he lived his life was the first thing Jungkook noticed. He was so free to love whatever he loved, unbothered by societal expectations and opinions. It’s Taehyung that introduced Jungkook to jazz music. Prior to meeting him, Jungkook didn’t care about it. He didn’t have much of an opinion on it. In all honesty, it made no sense to him, none. But, one evening, Taehyung had sat him down on the floor in their dorm. Jungkook was studying for the final exam he had for his business class. It had been past midnight, the hallways of the dorms were silent, as they always tended to be on the eve of an exam. It was only the two of them. Taehyung was easily bored and after hours of studying, he dragged Jungkook in his boredom. They sat down on the floor, even though Jungkook was perfectly comfortable at his desk. He could still remember Taehyung’s serious expression, almost as if it was a matter of life or death. Jungkook was just perplexed about the whole ordeal.
“It’s how you enjoy jazz, you’ll see.”
They sat down on the floor, Taehyung picked up one of his vinyls and gently placed it on the record player. A few seconds later the music started. Jungkook made an effort to indulge Taehyung and closed his eyes. He felt himself fall in the music. He had expected it, as he loves music. But he didn’t expect to feel the way he did. The cacophony he once linked to jazz music had no place in the melodies he was hearing. That night, he could only associate jazz music to love, it was the embodiment of love and life, the way it ebbs and flows in a rhythmic chaos that hugs you happily.
Since that day, he and Taehyung grew closer and, overtime, became best friends, brothers, partners in crime. After college, Taehyung moved out of the dorm with his boyfriend, Seokjin; and Jungkook found himself a small apartment he managed to pay for with the money he saved up from the various jobs he had since high school and a little help from his parents.
During their years in college, they came up with a project to open their own shop. Taehyung was the architect. He had drawn all the plans for the facility, up to every single little detail. Jungkook took care of the business part: he thought about what they’d sell, the money aspect, the location which was important to attract people. Around him, people accused him of having no ambition because he didn’t strive for bigger things, but Jungkook always valued his happiness first. And this made him happy.
A year later, he managed to open his shop. He always wanted to have his own shop and, now here he was. He made it. It was small and cozy. But it was perfect to him. The clients came immediately, for which he felt lucky.
They sold flowers, flower arrangements, and home decorations of all sorts. He wanted the place to feel like home and it did. Everything he sold, even the facility itself, the smells...all of it reminded Jungkook of home and he knew it could feel like home to many others, some customers even told him so. His shop was his second home and he couldn't be prouder to have created it from the ground up.
Taehyung was an independent architect and when he didn’t have any project to devote his time to (and, sometimes, even when he did), he worked with Jungkook. Jungkook had told him he could be a full time architect, it would earn him more money and it’s what he was made for, what he was good at. But Taehyung had refused, saying he loved this far more. It was more gratifying. Jungkook still failed to see how but he didn’t question Taehyung’s words, as long as he was happy.
09:03am
He was officially late. Jungkook messaged Taehyung quickly, trying his best to hurry. It was pouring rain, and with the streets being so busy, both with people and cars, it was hard to go fast. The shop was right around the corner now. Jungkook rarely used his car, he loved walking the most. Besides, he lived close by to everything he needed, the car was only for when he went to visit Taehyung and Seokjin who lived a little farther, or Hoseok, who lived and worked on the opposite side of the city as a fashion designer. His parents lived downtown, about a thirty minute walk from him. He always walked there when he visited.
He stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green. Everybody around him was focused, either listening to music, talking on the phone or lost in their thoughts. Majority, just like him, were impatient for the light to turn green because they were all running late.
09:07am
In front of him was a man who didn’t have an umbrella. He was the only one. Either he forgot it, underestimating the weather or he purposely didn’t take one, because it could break. Frankly, Jungkook was carrying the third umbrella he bought this year, the two others having succumbed during monsoon season. So he invested in one of those strong ones that didn’t budge no matter how strong the wind was. So far, so good.
“Oh, why is this taking so long?” The man in front of him complained after checking the time on his phone and then receiving a call which he didn’t take.
Jungkook found himself smiling, he didn’t really know why. The man’s voice was softer than he thought it would be, not that he had given it much thought in the first place.
He seemed agitated, and soaked from head to toe. Wanting to make his day a little better, Jungkook took a step forward and put his umbrella above his head, shielding him from the rain. The man had snapped his head toward him, surprised by the attention. When Jungkook saw his face, he couldn’t help but become a little breathless, a little speechless. This man was beautiful, in the literal sense of the word, not in the abstract meaningless way that people overuse to describe a rainbow or a painting. But beautiful in a unique, honest, and enchanting way. Beauty was present in his eyes, a deep brown reflecting the white gray sky. It was present in his wet hair, a darkened golden blond. It was in his jawline, his nose and his lips, which Jungkook could only link to the perfection of the Renaissance’s works-of-art.
When the light finally turned green, the stranger ran on the other side, clearly in a hurry. Jungkook crossed the street too after having watched him. The stranger had stopped abruptly on the other side. When Jungkook joined him, he turned around. He was staring again and Jungkook couldn’t suppress his smile, slightly shy under the scrutiny. Also a little confused.
“Thank you,” he bowed, “For the umbrella.”
“No problem.”
“Have a nice day.” the stranger said before bowing again and running away.
Jungkook chuckled, not used to such bizarre encounters. He hoped whatever was wrong for him would be solved. Have a nice day too, he would’ve said.
He turned around and walked towards his store. As expected, Taehyung was waiting in front, buried in the hood of his coat, frowning at Jungkook as he spotted him.
“You’re late.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.”
They opened at ten, but they needed to go through the orders, the deliveries they had planned, do the inventory and put up the sale prices for the things they wanted to get rid of from the summer collection.
“Who was that?” Taehyung asked as they both got rid of their coats, umbrellas and scarves in the backroom.
“Who?”
“The guy you talked to in the street.”
It took a second for Jungkook to remember. “Oh, I don’t know. He didn’t have an umbrella so I shared mine with him. He just thanked me and ran away. He seemed to have some sort of emergency. I thought I’d make his morning slightly better.”
“Mmh. What a nice guy you are. If only you were as nice to your friends as you are to strangers.”
“Oh quit it! I’m sure you didn’t wait more than five minutes in the rain.”
“That’s besides the point, my dear.”
Jungkook laughed, going back to the counter, Taehyung following him closely.
“We both know Seokjin dropped you off at nine sharp, maybe even later, precisely so that you wouldn’t have to wait under the rain, thinking I would be on time. Seeing I wasn’t there yet, he asked you to wait in the car but you said it was okay because you didn’t want him to be late for work. To which he asked if you were sure and, upon you agreeing, he left. Did I forget anything?”
Taehyung glared at him, once again having lost their daily morning banter. “Whatever.”
After Taehyung put on some background music—today’s pick was a mix of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong—they turned the sign on the door to “open” and got to work.
But in the back of his mind, Jungkook couldn’t forget the glistening eyes that stared at him with awe and appreciation. He couldn’t forget the faintest little smile that was addressed to him and the way it made him smile in return. And he couldn’t help but smile throughout the entire day at the thought of such beauty living in the same city as he did, perhaps not far from here.
It’s those little joys, those little oddities, that made him adore fall, rain, and life in general.
November: the second time they met
It was snowing. Now, Jungkook loves snow. But not when it got in his way. He should’ve been in front of a stove about an hour ago, but thanks to his great timing, he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, except where he should be.
It’s his little sister’s birthday. She wasn’t little anymore, turning twenty-one today. Jungkook had offered to prepare dinner for her and their whole family (and Taehyung, Seokjin and Hoseok who were practically part of the family now) at his parents’ house. Jungkook had gotten caught up in his work, doing the taxes when he saw the time. He told his mother he’d be there earlier than everyone so he’d have time to do everything. That clearly didn’t happen. Taehyung took over, which wasn’t done for free (Jungkook was sure he was going to be summoned to help organize Hoseok’s birthday party or something), and he hurried to the grocery store to buy everything he needed for dinner.
It’s when he was paying and making his way toward his parents’ house that he remembered to buy a gift. How could he forget the gift?
So that’s how he found himself running around the city with four grocery bags full to the brim and a bouquet of flowers, made by him, in search of a birthday gift.
His first idea was clothes. When he was brainstorming ideas with Hoseok, Seokjin and Taehyung one night, Hoseok had suggested clothes. Of course he would, he was the fashionista of their trio. But Jungkook didn’t know how to choose clothes, at least not for his sister. She changed styles every morning. He still gave it a chance though; he went through a few stores, hoping to find something on the first try, but nothing.
Taehyung’s idea had been a painting from local artists. Taehyung always knew where to find the good ones. Though Jungkook liked the idea, he wasn’t sure his sister would be fond of it. She was an aspiring artist herself but that didn’t mean she loved all types of art. But again, he tried. He looked through the windows of some galleries, too shy to enter and not convinced enough to be confident about what he was looking for.
He gave up on it eventually. But now, he had no idea to lean on. So he ran around. He entered all the shops. Shoes, clothes, home stuff, even pets and plants. Who would’ve thought it’d be so hard to find a gift for a twenty-one year old? Certainly not him.
He tried to remember what he wanted at twenty-one. As if the universe was on his side, he stopped in front of a record store. Of course! His sister loved music. It’s one of the many things they have in common. This is perfect!
Jungkook entered the small store clumsily, his bags and flowers taking as much space as him. The employee looked at him weirdly, probably scared Jungkook would cause some damage to his store. It wasn’t unlikely.
Okay. Frankly, Jungkook didn’t know what he was looking for. He glanced at the clock on the wall: 07:54pm. He was over an hour late. He skimmed through the many records. They had everything, every genre from every era. It was slightly overwhelming. He went in front of the pop category, that was always a safe choice.
Taylor Swift? Or Troye Sivan? Jungkook kept looking around to other genres...The Beatles? Everybody loves The Beatles.
Jungkook sighed, starting to feel desperate. He turned around to look through everything once more before making a final decision. Maybe he jinxed it when he thought the universe was on his side. Because next thing he knew, he bumped into someone and dropped all four of the bags and the flowers to the floor, something breaking inside. Jungkook hoped it wasn’t the tomato sauce or the champagne, both being crucial.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” the person apologized.
Jungkook crouched down to pick up everything. The champagne was safe, but not the sauce. It broke inside the bag, covering everything in red goo. “It’s alright, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Jungkook said, not looking at the person.
But when they knelt next to him to pick up the flowers and some items that rolled away, Jungkook’s eyes had a mind of their own. He found himself facing beauty again.
For a second, he forgot everything. He forgot the slight annoyance he felt, the fact that he was in a hurry or the way the employee of the store was glaring at him, probably debating whether to kick him out or not.
There were only those brown eyes he once shared an umbrella with. He was sure he’d remember him anywhere, any day.
“It’s you! The umbrella guy!”
“Oh, you remember me?” Jungkook couldn’t help but be surprised, though pleased that his act of kindness had some sort of impact. After all, he remembered him too.
“Of course I do. You don’t meet kind people every day.” He smiled. His smile wasn’t as he remembered. Perhaps, this was the first time he saw him smile like this. He didn’t know.
“I’m Jungkook by the way. Jungkook, the umbrella guy.” Jungkook said without thinking. He chuckled at first, but quickly blushed, embarrassing himself was his forte today, “I mean, that’s not my name!”
“It’s not?” the stranger had a smirk, clearly enjoying the hole Jungkook was digging for himself.
“Jungkook is. Jeon Jungkook.”
“Right.” He smiled and gave Jungkook the items he dropped and the flowers.
“Thank you-” His sentence was suspended in the air, thankfully, the stranger understood.
“I’m Jimin.”
“Thank you, Jimin.”
They stood there dumbly. Jungkook looked at the floor to make sure there was no damage done. He could see the sauce in the bottom of the bag, creating a pool of tomato. Awesome.
“Are you looking for something specific?” Jimin asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m looking for a birthday gift for my sister.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-one.”
Jimin hummed and walked around the store. Jungkook followed him, admiring his ease around such an overwhelming selection of records. He stopped in front of the 80’s pop category and handed Jungkook a vinyl.
“Prince. You can’t go wrong with Prince.”
“Oh of course! that’s such a good idea. Thank you!”
“It’s for the umbrella.”
For a second, Jungkook wondered how much those few minutes under the umbrella had meant to Jimin. Surely, it wasn’t that important yet it seemed to have meant something beyond Jungkook’s understanding.
“It was nothing.” Jungkook dismissed.
“It was the highlight of my day, so, it’s not nothing.”
Jungkook smiled and looked down. As his eyes fell on his full arms, he remembered he was in a hurry, to say the least.
“I should go, I’m running late.”
“Yeah, of course. I have to go too.”
“Have a nice evening Jimin.”
“You too, Jungkook the umbrella guy.” Jimin winked and left the store.
Jungkook allowed himself to be flabbergasted for a few seconds. What just happened?
He paid quickly and left.
Because of the snow and his clumsiness, it took Jungkook half an hour to finally make it to his parents’ house. The flowers were covered in snow, his hands were freezing and numb from carrying the four heavy bags. But he made it. He took a deep breath and pressed on the doorbell.
“Finally!” his mother exclaimed, “Your friends are here before you, my own son.” Yeah he was really late.
“I’m sorry. But don’t try to make me believe y’all were ready at seven sharp.”
His mother smiled and rolled her eyes, “Fine, you’re forgiven. Come in quickly, it’s cold outside. Your father has some flower questions I’m unable to answer and he’s been nagging me all week with them.”
He took his shoes and coat off while his mother brought the bags and flowers to the kitchen. He followed her and found Hoseok, Taehyung, Seokjin and Yuri having an animated debate around half-emptied glasses of wine.
“There he is!” Hoseok exclaimed, “You owe me” he then addressed Seokjin who glared at him.
Jungkook ignored them and hugged his sister tightly. He hasn’t seen her in a little while, both of them very busy. “Happy birthday, Yu!”
“Thank you.” Yuri smiled.
“What do you owe him?” Jungkook then asked.
“We made a bet on when you’d arrive.”
Of course they did. They always did this during the family gatherings, because, for some reason, Jungkook was always late. He shook his head at them and immediately started cooking.
“Oh, Jungkook, what did you do? There’s tomato sauce everywhere!” His mother complained in front of the bags she put on the kitchen counter.
“I dropped the bag. Leave it mom, I’ll do it. You go relax, I’ll take care of everything.”
First he needed to clean the mess. Seokjin helped him. They started by chopping all the vegetables and then he made the sauce with the jar that didn't break and the new one he bought on the way.
Hoseok took care of the meat while Taehyung and Yuri were entertaining Jungkook’s parents in the living room.
To Jungkook, there was nothing like coming home. As much as he had rushed out of there, he always came back with a smile on his face and a heart in need of warmth and familiarity.
Jungkook’s parents had given him and Yuri nothing but love. They taught him to dream and to work hard. They were the first ones to support his project with the store and they were the first ones to tell him that there was nothing wrong with him liking men. They were also the first ones to scold him if he did something wrong and for that he was grateful.
Taehyung became part of his family ever since they became friends. Taehyung was easy to love. Hoseok and Seokjin were quickly included too.
For at least seven years now, they established a habit of gathering everybody here for celebrations of all kinds. Sometimes, Hoseok bailed to spend it with his girlfriend and his own family, and Taehyung and Seokjin too, often invited to Seokjin’s family. But even if they were busy, at least once a year, they all found the time to come here and had the best time together.
Once dinner was ready and everyone relieved to finally be fed, they sat around the table. Yuri opened her gifts one by one, not patient enough to wait for the cake.
Hoseok brought her a custom-made jacket he designed himself, which she was beyond delighted about. Taehyung and Seokjin gathered up and gifted her an expensive painting set. She was a talented aspiring artist after all, she needed the best tools. His parents gave her money, which they were reluctant about but Yuri insisted.
Now it was Jungkook’s turn to give his present, which was “wrapped” in a plastic bag with the record store’s name on it.
Her face immediately lit up as she saw what it was. “Prince? That’s so cool! I love Prince! How did you know?”
“I have good taste, remember?”
The image of Jimin invaded his mind for a second. How he was engulfed in his thick jacket and beanie. His cheeks and nose were a faint pink. His beauty was just as striking as what he remembered from a month ago.
He let himself get lost in his thoughts, entertaining the possibility of meeting him again, some time soon because of some spontaneous coincidence.
After all, third time’s the charm, isn’t that what people say?
December: the third time they met
Christmas.
The most loved and hated time of the year. Hated because it was busy, too busy, too stressful, too much. Loved for the same reasons. It was a rush of happiness at the prospect of celebrating with family and making people happy.
Jungkook learned to hate it a little more over the years ever since he opened his shop. It was insanely busy this time of year. The background music couldn’t be heard anymore between the door opening and closing constantly, the clients chattering and the beeping of the machine as they paid. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
Taehyung was on cashier duty while Jungkook was wrapping everything. Yuri volunteered to help after Jungkook’s non-stop begging and she was advising the clients if they needed any help to choose between one thing or another. She would’ve done it anyway, but she loved to annoy Jungkook like that.
“Excuse me?” an elderly woman addressed them, “Do you have mistletoe?”
“I’m sorry, we ran out of it this morning.” Jungkook told her. He saw how sad she was.
“Oh. That’s too bad. My husband and I were looking forward to recreating our first date.”
She went on to tell Jungkook and Taehyung—and Yuri once she joined them at the counter—about how she and her husband have been together for fifty years and, each Christmas, they kiss under mistletoe and promise to love each other one more year.
Straight out of a fairy-tale.
Jungkook loved to hear stories like these. He heard plenty ever since he opened the shop, especially during the Holiday season. The first one he ever heard was his parents’. While hearing them, he always pictured Taehyung and Seokjin being the ones to tell him one of their own one day. They’ve been together ever since Taehyung’s freshman year of college, which was now over seven years ago. Jungkook believed they were for life. They were made for each other.
It made him wonder if he was made for someone too. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he had never been in love. He’s had relationships, just two. One in high school, one in college. He was broken up with both times.
Though he wasn’t actively looking for something, always leaving a chance for spontaneity to work its magic, he couldn’t really help but hope for it to happen to him someday. Maybe out there, there was someone made for him. Someone who would tolerate his bad sides and love him for them. Someone who would love him unconditionally, and it would be so much that he’d wonder what he did to deserve it. And he’d love the other person just the same.
Taehyung placed an order for the woman. She’d receive her mistletoe in a few days. She wasn’t pleased, but as long as it was before Christmas eve, she was okay with it.
Jungkook finished up the last wrapping and soon enough, the rush died down, until the next one. Yuri went home, needing to take care of her college assignments.
“Has it ever been this busy before?” Taehyung asked as he slumped on the stool next to Jungkook who was putting back some order on the counter, between the ribbons, the pieces of paper left and right and the scissors. He swept the floor off of the many petals and leaves that had fallen in the meantime.
“I don’t think so.”
“Good for us.” Taehyung said proudly before welcoming a new customer.
Good for them indeed. Their shop was doing well and Jungkook couldn’t be prouder. It was everything he ever wished for. And more than he could’ve dreamed of. He considered himself lucky. His parents never had it easy. Somehow, he was also doing this for them.
When Taehyung told him he had a call to take about an upcoming project, Jungkook heard something break in the back of the store. He dismissed Taehyung and quickly went toward the sound.
“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking and-”
And there he was. Again. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence after all.
“Jungkook the umbrella guy!”
“Jimin, is it?” Jungkook contained a smile, happy to see Jimin hadn’t forgotten about him, the same way he, for some reason, couldn’t forget about Jimin.
Jimin seemed to assess Jungkook’s appearance before asking the obvious, “You work here?”
“I do, I’m the owner.”
Jungkook watched Jimin’s eyes widen a little, his lips parting, a silent “wow” breathed out as the sparkling fairy lights reflected in his eyes that were wandering around the shop. Jungkook didn’t know what to make of the enchanting presence Jimin exuded. So he opted for professionalism.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?” he asked Jimin while he picked up the broken vase he dropped.
“To be honest, I have no idea,” Jimin scoffed, “My roommate is dragging me to this secret Santa Christmas party tonight and I don’t really know anybody there. I have to gift something to someone I’ve seen like once in my life. I barely remember her name. Yunjae? Or was is Jane?” Jimin plunged his hand in his handbag and retrieved a small piece of paper, “Jihyo!” he showed the paper to Jungkook with the name on it. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I was in a hurry and I broke your vase.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Jungkook smiled at him to appease the clear stress he was going through.
He guided him through his shop, looking for the tiny candle box set they sell. It was a yearly best-seller, he couldn’t go wrong.
“I suggest candles. Everybody loves candles. The scents are subtle and not too overwhelming or heavy, so it’s light and pleasant to be around.”
“Mmh, that could work.”
A client was waiting to pay at the counter. For once he wished Taehyung was a full-time employee here.
“I have to take care of the client but, feel free to take a look around.”
On his way back to the counter, he looked at the back room that Taehyung left open. He was still on the phone, walking in circles as he talked animatedly. He hoped nothing was wrong. Taehyung already had one project in construction. It started a few weeks ago. It was for a new mall on the outskirts of the city. It was a really big milestone for his career as an architect. Now Jungkook felt a little bad for asking him to work today while he was probably busy with all kinds of preparations architects have to make, and the upcoming project he was on the phone about now.
“Do you want me to wrap it, Sir?” Jungkook asked the client, taking the items to scan them.
“No it’s alright, thank you.”
He loved that answer, especially on busy days. He quickly packed everything in a paper bag and wished the man a good afternoon, and shifted his focus back on Jimin. He was roaming around the shop, carefully looking at the different items they sold, poking some of the things delicately with his finger, probably scared to break something else.
Jungkook found Jimin to be quite an enigma: he was both cute and handsome, elegant, ethereal even. Enchanting from head to toe. He was holding the candle set Jungkook gave him close to his body, kind of hugging it tightly. It was cute.
“You don’t sell treats for cats do you?”
“We don’t, I’m sorry.”
Jimin shrugged and shook his head in what Jungkook recognized as fake disappointment, “Your loss.”
“I’ll think about adding it to our selection of products.” Jungkook took the candles, “Are you sure about these?”
“Yeah. Can you wrap it for me?”
“Of course.” And suddenly Jungkook didn’t mind wrapping so much anymore.
The human mind was weird like that. Or maybe it was just him. He’d gladly wrap a thousand gifts right now, or ten, let’s not exaggerate.
“How much was the vase? I broke it so I should pay for it.”
“Oh no don’t worry about it.”
“Please! It looked quite expensive, it was really pretty too.”
Jungkook finished wrapping the gift and put it in a paper bag, exchanging it with Jimin’s credit card.
“I break things all the time around here,” it wasn’t true, “Really, it’s okay.”
Jimin sighed. Jungkook could tell Jimin was stubborn. But in a good and endearing way.
“Please let me repay you,” he pleaded.
He gave him back his credit card along with the receipt.
A silly idea came to him. Jungkook didn’t know himself to be this bold, but perhaps for Jimin he could make an exception. They ran into each other three times, all three times a complete coincidence. And for some reason, Jungkook didn’t want to let him go. Because if third time's the charm, fourth time's the...regret? Loss?
“What if...what if I thought about it and gave you a call once I figured it out?”
Jimin laughed, looking down. He was blushing.
“That’s a rather smooth way to ask for my phone number.”
Jungkook shook his head, forcing a serious expression, “It’s merely for professional purposes.”
“Right.” Jimin took the pen on the counter and wrote it behind his receipt, “Here.”
It’s been months—years—since Jungkook felt whatever he felt when Jimin gave him his phone number. It was such a simple thing, potentially meaningless, potentially life-changing.
“So, I’ll wait for your call?” Jimin asked, walking towards the door.
“Yes, you can count on it!”
“Merry Christmas, Jungkook the umbrella guy.”
“This will follow me for as long as we’ll stumble on each other won’t it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Merry Christmas, Jimin.”
Jimin waved goodbye and exited the shop, leaving Jungkook staring at the door. What is happening to him? Jungkook doesn’t melt over people, let alone cute guys he might have a chance with.
“Who was that?” Taehyung asked.
“No one.” Jungkook quickly got back to work, rearranging flowers and shelves.
He never hid anything from Taehyung, but he did need a good timing to say things. Taehyung was extra dramatic and way too enthusiastic. He’ll tell him, after he calls Jimin.
Oh...what will he tell Jimin though? Does he actually have to come up with a way to repay for the vase? Or was that an excuse? It was definitely an excuse. He was flirting. Or was he? Is Jimin even interested in men? He seemed to be, Jungkook was rarely wrong about this kind of thing.
“Who is Jimin the vase guy?”
“What?” Jungkook turned toward Taehyung to find him holding the receipt with the phone number and name on it. He snatched it from him and put it in the back pocket of his pants, “A person.”
“Ah and here I thought it was an alien.”
“It’s just Jimin.” Jungkook said with finality, “So? What about your project?”
Taehyung sighed, visibly defeated about the whole thing, “It won’t be done after all.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry. I know you wanted it to happen.”
“Mmh. It’s okay. Gives me more time to enjoy the Holidays with Jinnie and you and everyone.”
Their day at the store ended calmly despite the continuous flow of customers for the majority of it. Both of them were spent, with the only desire to go home.
Seokjin picked up Taehyung and dropped off Jungkook in front of his place, though it wasn’t far from the store.
Jungkook was always happy to go back home after a long day. Not home with his parents, but home, his home. The one he created for himself with long hours of hard work. He could provide for himself and he loved it.
He loved his little open kitchen facing the living room. He loved the big window with the trees in front of it. During this time of the year, the trees were decorated with fairy lights in them. He took advantage of that. He loved his bedroom, with the big mattress and the thick blanket. He loved his dark green couch and the fact all of it was his and he felt so comfortable here.
After preparing himself a quick dinner, he sat on his couch, legs crossed beneath him.
He remembered the little piece of paper in his jeans.
It was now or never, right? He checked the time. Jimin had a party tonight, but parties don’t start before eight or nine in the evening right?
He dialed the number on his phone and waited.
It took only two rings before Jimin picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Jungkook.”
“Jungkook, I didn’t expect you to call so soon.”
He recognized the sound of cars around Jimin, or maybe he was in one, on his way to the party perhaps. Should he have waited for the next day? Jungkook was so bad with those things, it was ridiculous. “I’m sorry, I hope I’m not disturbing.”
“Oh no, no! I’m glad you did.”
Jungkook relaxed a bit in his couch.
“How was your day at the store? I assume it’s pretty busy this time of year.” Jimin asked him. He never knew the fact that someone was interested in how his day went could make him all fuzzy inside.
“It is. Today wasn’t so bad.”
“Mmh, except that one guy that broke a vase, what an idiot.”
“I know right? People are so careless these days.”
They both laughed.
“Did you figure out how I could repay you?”
He did. “Maybe.”
“I’m all ears.”
Jungkook set his plate on the coffee table, bracing himself for impact. “Do you like coffee?”
“Coffee?” Jimin sounded surprised.
“Or tea. Or hot chocolate. Or something else. Whatever you want, really.”
He heard Jimin giggle on the other end. That should be a good sign. He didn’t fuck up. “I love coffee.”
“Yeah? See, I knew you were a coffee guy!”
They kept talking for a little while. Jimin told him he was on his way to the party. He listened to Jimin complaining about it and how he just wanted to go home to his cat. Jungkook managed to make him laugh here and there. He told him how his evening was going to go, a simple dinner in front of a movie. Jimin was envious.
“Jungkook, I’m afraid I have to go. I’ve been standing in front of the building for minutes now.”
“Oh yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to take your time.” Jungkook now realized they’ve been talking for twenty minutes already. It felt like two.
“I was thinking,” Jimin started with a slight hesitance, “How about I take care of the coffee? I’m the one who broke the vase, let me take care of everything.”
It seemed fair, “Yeah, okay.”
“Cool. I’ll text you the details. I just have to warn...I’m quite busy with the end-of-the-year festivities.”
“Oh, don’t worry, me too. Whenever you have time, I’ll wait.”
“Okay. I’m glad.” Jungkook could hear the smile in Jimin’s voice so clearly, he wished he could see it, “Goodnight Jungkook.”
“Goodnight Jimin, try to have a little fun at the party.”
“It must be my karma for breaking your vase,” Jimin sighed.
“The providence of the universe.” Perhaps they thought about their meeting the same way: too coincidental to be just that.
“Right? It must be.”
“Bye Jimin.”
“Bye.”
Jungkook hung up with a smile on his face.
Now, he could tell Taehyung all about it. He’ll need more than one advice.