Work Text:
People say that spring is the perfect time for new beginnings. Opportunities present themselves as nature begins to reproduce and start to bloom in time for the new season. Kim Seokjin was a firm believer of this saying, which is precisely why he chose to embark on the next big chapter of his life on the very first day of spring. He opened up a modest store, small to be considered as an actual grocery store, but too big to be considered as a convenience store. It was something indistinguishable that was the middle ground, somewhat between a grocery and a convenience store. It carried most daily essentials, as well as tools and items used for crafts. It also contained a variety of food items and mainly any random items which caught Seokjin’s eye. Jimin, his friend for over a decade, contested against this, claiming that it couldn’t even be considered as a mart when it was composed of random items and not necessarily the usual items one would find at a grocery. Jimin often complained that he didn't even carry more than 2 brands of conditioner, something Seokjin chose to ignore on most days.
It was a modest establishment, aisles and aisles filled with necessities with the exemption of a couple of random items mixed in the shelves. Seokjin settled on a rustic design, so most fixtures connected to the interior of the place were made out of wood. He called it S Mart, S in lieu of the establishment first opening its doors on the first day of spring, although Jimin would contradict this and accuse Seokjin of naming it S Mart after his name, to which Seokjin would flat-out deny his allegations.
The inside was brightly illuminated with multiple spotlights attached to the ceilings, providing a warmer atmosphere in contrast to how boring the normal marts containing awful fluorescent lighting were. But Seokjin mainly decided to invest in good lighting simply because it wouldn't enhance the appearance of his pores. If Seokjin wouldn’t be able to provide a wide variety of products to his customers, he was at least going to offer them an alternative that didn’t hurt their eyes. So even if Seokjin usually wouldn’t bat an eye when it came to aesthetics, he made it a point to leave the entire design process to Jimin, who worked part time as a intern in one of the largest interior design companies in the city. Entrusting the job to his reliable friend, he was fully satisfied when he saw the final results. The first few weeks were devastatingly slow, Seokjin was worried for a while that he invested his entire life’s savings into a business that was about to fail, but as the weeks progressed, business luckily began picking up. He even gained a few regular customers. Like most business owners who were actually extremely hands on when it came to running their businesses, Seokjin already had his favorite customers.
Mrs. Hyuk, a grandma who lived alone with her 8 cats, she often came on Tuesdays to buy a refill of cat food and restock her fridge with bottles of her favorite brand of Makgeolli. Seokjin doesn’t judge her love for alcohol since she seemed healthy enough and honestly, living alone in such a huge city could get lonely. If anything, he completely understood her. Plus, sometimes she brought along her adorable pets.
Nari, a middle-aged single mother of three. She liked to drop by thrice a week to buy snacks and mostly vegetables for her kids. She constantly complimented Seokjin, saying that he was extremely good looking and if she were a few years younger, without any children of her own, she probably would have hit on him. He usually responded with a shy smile, too reticent to inform her that he wasn’t into women but didn’t ruin what her imagination had going for her.
Mr. Gyeong, a grumpy old man who had a frown permanently etched into his features. Seokjin doesn’t think anyone has ever seen him smile before. But he tips really well, thus making the cut for Seokjin’s list.
Sung and Myung, twins who often stopped by on Sundays to run errands for their mother. They were cute and played with Jimin a lot, and more importantly, Myung asked Seokjin one time as he was scanning their items if he was a model or an actor, ever since that day, Seokjin sneaked in small bags of chocolates into their bags, just because. Although Jimin knew it was because Myung referred to Seokjin as someone who was handsome enough to be mistakenly considered as a celebrity, this claim usually came hand in hand with an exasperated eye roll.
And lastly, a handsome man who Seokjin didn’t even have a name for. He usually engaged in casual chitchat with his customers whenever they were having trouble locating a certain item or during check out as they waited for their items to be placed in a bag, but for some reason that wasn’t the case with this stranger. Sometimes he came into the store wearing fancy, luxurious outfits that looked really out of place especially in a grocery. But more often than not, he would come in wearing clothes which were considered grubby due to how stained they were. Some of which even had holes in them, Seokjin wasn’t sure if it was the latest fad and if they were purposely ruined to create a certain look or if they were just holes. Fabric ripping apart due to its incessant use over time. Regardless, whatever he chose to wear for the day, he looked good. Seokjin had to admit that much, he was an attractive young man, albeit a bit on the stranger side, but in this society, strange was acceptable and totally relatable. He was one of Seokjin’s regulars who came in during the most random hours of the day. For some reason, if he was searching for an item, he would approach Jimin instead of Seokjin even if Jimin only worked part-time. If Jimin wasn’t around, he would go through each and every aisle and search for a particular item himself, and if he didn’t find what he was looking for, he would leave the store with the saddest little pout on his face. Admittedly, it was cute. If only Seokjin weren’t so baffled as to why this particular customer wouldn’t ask him if they carried a certain item so he could simply avoid going through the trouble of scouting the entire place from top to bottom. He had no trouble whatsoever approaching Jimin, but never even attempted to do so when it came to Seokjin. He was seriously beginning to question whether he was too intimidating to be approached, or if he had a bad aura that gave off the impression that he couldn’t be approached, either way, Seokjin didn’t know exactly why this stranger refused to speak to him.
Over the months, Seokjin began to observe him more frequently. He had weird but cute habits. Sometimes he would dance in an empty aisle when he knew nobody was around, completely forgetting the fact that the store had numerous CCTV cameras and Seokjin could see him from where he was seated. Sometimes he would even mutter out words to himself, creating an entire monologue from scratch, sporting the most endearing expression on his face even when it turned out that he was disappointed that Seokjin’s store didn’t carry an item he needed. And often times, whenever he came across someone with a pet, Mrs. Hyuk to be precise, he would stop whatever he was doing and lovingly coo at animals.
Seokjin attempted to prove his theory that he was unapproachable multiple times by initiating a conversation as he scanned his items and took his time doing so.
“Hey, you come by often. Would you like a loyalty card? If you manage to spend a certain amount and tick off all of the boxes, which honestly, I think you’ll accomplish in no time, you’ll receive a special gift basket.” He stated one day, cheery demeanor and all.
“Hmm. Sure, why not.” The man shrugged, not interested in the slightest and refused to even meet Seokjin’s eyes. He also seemed to be in a hurry. Seokjin took that as his cue to try again another day and loaded his items into a bag, handing it to him with a pleasant smile despite this man not even looking up to witness this smile.
This didn’t prevent Seokjin from striking up conversations again and again . None of which ended up in fruition. He was probably better off talking to himself.
“Winter is nice, isn’t it?”
“Can’t believe winter flew by so fast!”
“Last minute Christmas preps?”
Winter passed and he still didn’t know his name. So much for trying.
Giving up on conversations, Seokjin started to notice how bizarre the items he was purchasing were. He was picking up heat guns, a biohazard suit, a whisk, duct tape and the list goes on. Seokjin was so intrigued that he began to speculate, and even confided in Jimin as to what he thought this mystery customer did for a living.
“Last night he purchased a rope. And it wasn’t just any ordinary rope, it was a heavy duty nylon one. I swear Jimin, this man spent at least 30 minutes crouched down contemplating which rope he should get. Who even puts that much thought into ropes?!”
“Apparently both him and you. So what? Is he not allowed to buy ropes?” Jimin was tired, his back was yearning for a two hour Thai massage, or perhaps the ones they offer with stones, and Seokjin was raising concern over ropes, of all things.
Then Seokjin grew silent. But Jimin could instantly tell that he probably paused on purpose for added dramatics for whatever theatrical revelation he had planned.
In his most serious expression he turned to Jimin and blew him away with his theory.
“Min, I think he’s a murderer. Or maybe he’s planning on abducting someone and taking them for hostage. How else would you explain the need for heavy duty ropes?”
Jimin felt as if he just shed ten years off his lifespan upon hearing this. He began questioning why he maintained such a close relationship with Seokjin who lived for hysterics and overanalyzing things that didn’t need to be analyzed in the first place. Clearly causing such a commotion over ropes wasn't something a sane person would waste their time on.
“I clearly don’t get paid enough for this.” He muttered out in the most defeated tone, ready to call it a day.
“Think about it. It makes perfect sense!” But Seokjin was adamant.
“I don’t think anything out of your mouth makes any sense, especially now.”
“What do you think he does for a living then? Why does he keep on purchasing weird things? And there are about a dozen nearby marts that carry a lot more products than I do, why does he keep on coming back to this particular store? Do you think the other storeowners are catching on to him?” From the way his veins were beginning to appear on his neck, Seokjin was visibly worked up over figuring out the mysterious wonder that was their customer.
“Hyung, I spoke to him a few times. He’s a nice guy. I don’t know what this odd obsession you have with him is all about, but you know what, why don’t you follow him and satisfy your curiosity once and for all? Maybe then you can stop assuming that he’s a murderer or whatever.”
“That’s actually a really good idea.”
In reality, Jimin knew it was a terrible idea and felt a tinge of guilt for even suggesting it, but if it would put Seokjin’s assumptions to rest then things would be fine. Or at least he hoped so.
Seokjin picked up the habit of discreetly following Taehyung after he’s exited the store, and this went on for a few weeks. Over the course of his mission to uncover what exactly this mysterious man did for a living and whether or not he was involved in some kind of organized crime ring or something even worse, he discovered a few interesting facts instead. He had a distinct preference of habitually dropping by Seokjin’s store before closing time, therefore arriving a little past nine almost daily. Seokjin discovered what he liked to do after his little grocery runs.
Turns out he owned a dog, an adorable black furball that possessed the most heart wrenching tiny tail which was constantly wagging, which would vastly explain his soft spot for animals. They took leisurely walks around a nearby park, and Seokjin hid behind the trees, which honestly seemed like a good hiding spot in his opinion but barely concealed the fact that he was there. Watching attentively. He had a deep chuckle, and Seokjin was surprised to learn that he never noticed this before during their brief interactions. It was a haunting low tone, one people would usually never forget.
He also enjoyed taking an absurd amount of photos. Wall murals, pedestrian lanes, nature, his dog’s paw and occasionally even photos of himself. Seokjin couldn’t really blame the guy, he was attractive in any given standards. Perhaps he was into photography. Or maybe he was sneakily taking photos of his next victims, Seokjin thought to himself but it sounded absurd and he immediately discarded of the thought. This guy had to be a professional and knew that it was a terrible idea to take photos of your next victims in broad daylight. He probably did it during evenings, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for being so clever when it came to creating theories. Seokjin should have been a detective or something.
He discovered how this man was polite to practically everyone he came across, constantly greeting people with a huge smile on his face. This made Seokjin go deep in thought on why he didn’t act this way around Seokjin. They saw each other everyday, but he acted as if Seokjin wasn’t even in the same room. It sparked his curiosity even more.
It seemed that he had a typical routine that didn’t look like it involved anything out of the ordinary, and maybe Seokjin should have stopped following him once he came to this conclusion. But since he was entertained by this, he continued to follow him around and thought he was doing a terrific job by doing it inconspicuously and was certain that he had no idea Seokjin had been keeping up this habit of following him around for nearly a month. Even though he never really gained any real answers to his ridding questions, this man, whoever he was, kept him intrigued enough to form a pastime of following him around incessantly.
“Jimin, can you close up for me? I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Okay. But hyung, are you still following him around?” He asked out of concern.
“Yup.”
“Do you know his name now?”
Seokjin reluctantly shook his head. “But I do know that he prefers iced chocolate over hot chocolate even if it’s freezing outside. I also know that he has a ridiculously contagious laugh. His puppy is named Tannie which is short for something I have yet to figure out. He enjoys walking in the rain, which is a bit bizarre but I kinda get it. He also seems to be deep in thought whenever he’s hanging out by the bridge, almost like a brooding man filled with mystery and..”
“And you still didn’t catch his name. Hyung, I’m glad you’re being less annoying now that you’re somehow finding relief in this strange habit of yours, but he’s going to think you’re stalking him. It’s a bit creepy.” He shook his head, hoping Seokjin would see the gravity of the situation he placed himself in.
“Relax. He has no idea I’m even doing this. I’m discreet with a capital D.” Seokjin brushed off his concerns, completely unbothered by it.
Jimin could only scoff at the unnecessary impassiveness regarding the circumstances and the highly probable chances that he would eventually get caught. “Yeah, and you’re going to be fucked with a capital F If he ever spots you watching him like a creep. What are you even going to say to him then? Oh I’m sorry, I assumed you were a killer and wanted to make sure but developed an unhealthy obsession of finding more about you because I think you’d make a great lay.” He said in a mocking tone.
“I never said he would make a great lay???? Stop putting words in my mouth.” He retorted defensively.
“Yeah, if only I didn’t catch you eye fucking him every single day. Why not just talk to him like how a normal person would?” Sometimes Jimin debated whether or not he signed up for a job working at Seokjin’s mart or as his own personal shrink.
“Sssshhh. He’s coming in.” Seokjin did an awful job at standing completely still the moment his peculiar customer stepped into the establishment. Jimin had just about had it with Seokjin and his extravagant attempts to gain information when he could just speak to him in a normal, civilized manner. One which didn't involve stalking. He headed towards the backroom to pretend to do a stock inventory, when it reality, he was leaving Seokjin to fend for himself.
For tonight, he was buying a pair of protective safety goggles, a carton of eggs and a small sledgehammer which raised Seokjin’s suspicions once more.
“Nice evening outside. Spring is nearing, it’s the perfect night for a walk.” Seokjin cited as he punched in the items and prepared a bag to insert the items into.
The man look puzzled, but surprisingly replied. “It is.” Short and curt. But hey, at least Seokjin got a response out of him.
“Do you like spring?” He asked for the sake of keeping the conversation going, offering him a wry smile.
The man nodded his head as he nibbled on his lower lip, handing Seokjin the exact amount as well as his loyalty card.
"Two more stamps and you’ll get our special item. Congrats!”
“Yup.”
His precise response entailed the end of their run-of-the-mill conversation. Seokjin handed him his bag and told him to have a pleasant night ahead of him. Less than five minutes after he departed, Seokjin yelled out for Jimin to close down the store since he had something which he needed to do. Which was to nobody's surprise, following the man.
The streets were barren for tonight, and as Seokjin was following him, he realized that he was using a route he’s never used before. He continued to follow him down a couple of blocks further, when the man stopped in the middle of the road and slowly turned to face Seokjin, completely catching him off guard.
“Have you been following me?”
Seokjin was panic stricken, having a mental shut down from being blatantly caught red handed following a stranger.
“Uh, no? I just happened to take the same route.” An attempt to lie his way out of the mess he found himself in. But his customer provided him with a look of disbelief, perceivably not believing Seokjin’s poor excuse.
“Are you sure about that? Because this wouldn’t be the first time that you happened to coincidentally take the same route as me.”
Swallowing a huge lump on his throat, Seokjin was rendered speechless. He knew the jig was up and it was nearly impossible to weasel his way out of the situation.
“Look, I can explain. I actually followed you because I wanted to ask you something.” He knew that if he was so curious about his customer, he should have just asked for his name in the first place. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Jimin was right. There were other ways he could have gone with this that didn’t involve stalking. But before he could ask for his name, the man smiled at him, which left Seokjin stunned and confounded.
“You’ve never even asked for my name.” He giggled. Before this night, Seokjin couldn’t even picture this man giggling like a teenage boy infatuated. “But it’s okay, I’m free tomorrow evening.”
“Okay, well I wanted to ask you for.. Wait, what???”
The man now looked like he was seconds away from blushing, out of all the things Seokjin was expecting, blushing wasn't one of them. Seokjin was already confused enough, this was only adding even more perplexity to this extremely odd situation.
“You don’t have to explain things, I know why you’ve been following me for quite some time now.”
“You do?” He wasn’t sure what was more baffling, the fact that he somehow thought of the reason why Seokjin was doing it in the first place, or the fact that he knew all along and still went about his business, completely unbothered.
“Of course, silly. Well, I’ll be ready by 7. Give me your number, I’ll text you my address. I’m Taehyung, by the way. You should really ask for someone’s name first before asking them out on a date, but it’s okay.” He chuckled, as if finding the circumstances amusing.
Date????????
It took Seokjin a couple of seconds to fully digest what he just heard. He just asked his uncanny customer out on a date?
He was shell-shocked about what just happened, but Taehyung already had a hand extended in front of Seokjin, eagerly waiting for him to hand over his phone and Seokjin didn’t have it in him to turn this man down, especially after witnessing how his face lit up once he jumped into conclusions. Without giving it too much thought, he handed his phone over and watched how Taehyung enthusiastically typed in his number and even took a selfie which he saved under his contact.
“Here you go, Seokjin.” Handing him back his phone. Seokjin doesn’t remember ever mentioning his name, but remembered that their uniform came with a name card, so of course Taehyung figured out his name. “See you tomorrow then. Have a good night.” He shot him one last lingering look, before shyly sashaying his way towards the end of the street. Seokjin was left even more confused than he was to begin with. He only planned to ask the man what his name was and why he never spoke to Seokjin but ended up with a date for tomorrow night instead.
It was one unexpected anomalous situation to another.
The next day at work he kept on messing up. Placing the wrong prices on items, mixing up the fixtures on the shelves, dropping things and breaking them. Jimin noticed this since Seokjin wasn’t usually clumsy.
“What’s up with you today, hyung? You’re normally not this careless.” He began sweeping away broken glass on the floor to avoid any accidents. Genuinely concerned for the distressed state his friend was in.
“I got caught.” He admitted.
Jimin saw this coming but chose to sympathize with him instead. There was no use rubbing salt into an open wound. A frown was etched on his face, nearly dropping the broom in his hands. “Oh no. Was he mad? Did he press charges? I have this lawyer friend, he’s not that good but..”
“He wasn’t mad.” Seokjin cut him off.
“He wasn’t?” Voice going several octaves higher in surprise. “Well, then what did he say?”
“His name is Taehyung.”
“Ah, you finally got his name.” Jimin was visibly pleased to learn that at least Seokjin got something out of his stalking, one which didn’t involve lawsuits. “That’s great, hyung!”
“But that’s not all I got.”
The first thing that came to Jimin’s mind was a restraining order or probably death threats. What if Taehyung came from a mafia family of sorts? The possibilities were endless and Jimin’s pessimistic thoughts were probably not helping. “Are you in trouble, hyung?” Expression swiftly altered to one of concern.
“I think I am.” Seokjin sighed, just when Jimin was about to rush towards where he stood, what Seokjin said next made him want to fling his broom towards his friend instead. “I got a date.”
Jimin wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed because Seokjin made it out to sound so grim and forbidding or that he didn’t cut to the chase and built up the suspense over nothing. Concluding that it was simply another episode of being friends with Seokjin who seemed to thrive over theatrics. “Isn’t that good news? It wasn’t a bounty for your head for relentlessly stalking this poor boy so I don’t get why you sound so sullen.”
“He assumed that I was following him because I wanted to ask him out on a date.”
“Do you not want a date with him? He’s a really good looking guy, even with your impossibly high standards, he surpasses that in the looks department.”
“Jimin, I don’t even know the guy!” Seokjin pointed out in distress.
Once again, Jimin couldn’t comprehend what the deal was. “That’s precisely why you go out on dates, hyung! To get to know someone! God. You seriously need to get laid.” Irritated that it wasn’t even something to make a fuss over, he threw the broken shards into a nearby trash bin and began walking towards the next aisle, but not without yelling out his last piece of advice for today. “Go on the date! You might find something you didn’t know you were looking for!”
Seokjin considered Jimin’s words but was still stressed out over the whole situation. This was going to be his first date in ages, and it was one he didn’t even expect would happen in the first place. What were they even going to talk about? Did they have anything in common? There were a thousand questions running through Seokjin’s brain even though he knew the only way he was going to get answers to these questions was by going on the date and unearthing things for himself. Knowing this did nothing to appease the persistent butterflies churning in his stomach.
He had the whole afternoon to figure out where he was going to take Taehyung or what they were going to do, and Seokjin had no clue where to even begin. The only leads he had to guide him were the miniscule information he managed to gather during the few weeks he’s spent following Taehyung around. After deciding that he would just settle for his opinion on an ideal date and hope that Taehyung enjoys it nonetheless.
A little past seven, Taehyung came strolling into the mart, in contrast to how he was usually dressed up in loose, stained clothing, he looked really different tonight. He came in a floral patterned dress shirt neatly tucked into his cream trousers and expensive loafers to compliment the outfit. He was also wearing glasses which Seokjin wasn’t sure if it was prescription glasses which he needed but he certainly looked more mature in them.
Seokjin felt severely underdressed in a plain tee and jeans, taking off his apron as he yelled over to where Jimin was busy restocking, asking him if he could borrow a cardigan or jacket to put over his clothes.
Taehyung was busy chatting with Jimin, who was now seated by the cashier, when Seokjin stepped out of the storage room, a navy cardigan now layered over his shirt.
“You look great.” Taehyung beamed. “Shall we?”
“Have fun you two!” Jimin called out, and as Seokjin was exiting the store he mouthed out the words go get laid, to which Seokjin responded with his middle finger enthusiastically being lifted, gingerly shoving Taehyung out of the store as quickly as he could.
They took Seokjin’s car and he drove them to one of the lesser known parks in the city which was located in the other side of town. It was a large field with housed cherry blossom trees that were now in full bloom during this time of the year, it also showcased a view overlooking a small river. Secluded, well-illuminated and most of all, peaceful due to the lack of bystanders in the area, just the way Seokjin liked it.
Taehyung was bright eyed as he stepped out of the passenger's seat, in awe of his surroundings with a wide grin on his face. “Wow! It’s gorgeous here. How come I’ve never even heard of this park?”
“Its probably because you prefer visiting the one near the mart and..” Seokjin shut his mouth once he realized that it was nothing short of a honest admittance of his stalking, fortunately, Taehyung simply giggled at this.
“I see you’ve even followed me to the park. I like bringing Yeontan there so he can freely run around.”
“Ah, so the little furball’s name is Yeontan. He’s cute.” Seokjin cited, remembering the image of his small wagging tail which brought a smile to his face.
“Takes after his dad, wouldn’t you agree?” Taehyung joked as he began wiggling his eyebrows in a teasing manner.
Seokjin didn’t agree nor disagree, and hurriedly walked towards the middle of the field, picnic blanket and two bento lunchboxes in tow which he prepared earlier during the day when he decided on what kind of date he wanted to take Taehyung to. He spent a good two hours working on his bento, and hoped for the best. Taehyung seemed to be restless, craning his head around taking in the scenery, at least Seokjin did a good job when it came to selecting the venue. Various flowers were scattered across the field, that despite it being nighttime, the many lamp posts lit up their abundance. It was a full moon tonight, bright and mesmerizing, making it the perfect night to spend outdoors.
Taehyung watched in silence as the petals fell from the trees, sashaying in the air, while Seokjin revealed the fruits of his labor, two layers of home-cooked food.
“Did you cook? For me?” Taehyung nearly shrieked in shock, eyes as wide as saucers as he eyed the extensive selection.
“Yes, why? Did you want me to just grab take out instead?” Seokjin hesitantly replied, but Taehyung was quick to repeatedly shake his head.
“No, it’s just..” He visibly stalled, choosing his words carefully. “You’re the first person apart from my family to make me a meal from scratch.” Taehyung began sniffling, catching Seokjin off guard. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to get so emotional over something as silly as food, I guess I just wasn’t expecting this. It’s a sweet gesture, thank you. I’ll thoroughly enjoy this meal.”
He was seconds away from sobbing and Seokjin felt an abrupt need to prevent it from happening, which was weird, he barely knew Taehyung, but the need to protect him from any type of sadness was evident.
“I can cook for you anytime you want. Well, provided that my cooking is to your liking. But yeah, just let me know and I’ll happily cook for you.” The words came stumbling out before Seokjin could put a stop to it. It was presumptuous to even hand him that kind of offer when he didn’t know if there would be a second date, but somehow saying it felt right. He honestly wouldn’t mind cooking meals for Taehyung.
“I’d appreciate that. Let me give you art pieces in return.” Shutting his eyes as the food melted in his mouth, he happily savored the taste.
“Art pieces?”
“Yeah, I make art for a living. What did you think I did?”
Well, for starters, Seokjin now figured out that the red streak marks on his clothes weren’t blood but paint. It was odd but somehow he wanted to get more answers to convince himself that Taehyung wasn’t involved in any illegal activities like what his mind keeps supplying for him.
“Why do you buy stuff like ropes then?”
Taehyung laughed, taking a sip from the tumbler Seokjin had provided for them to clear his throat. “For intricate pieces. Let’s just say I’m a struggling artist who is very much into unconventional art.”
Seokjin couldn’t even begin to comprehend what kind of art fell into that section, but felt guilty either way for assuming that Taehyung was a murderer or something along those lines. He should have known that someone who looked as gorgeous as Taehyung did, wouldn’t waste his life partaking in illegal activities. Jimin was right once again.
“Oh. I’m sorry for asking.”
“Don’t be. I enjoy answering these questions for you, mind if I get to know you better as well?”
And that’s how they began getting to know each other on a more personal level. Things ranging from childhood aspirations down to how they spent their final years in college. Petals were fluttering around throughout their conversation, but it didn’t seem to be the only thing fluttering on that lovely spring evening. Taehyung was nothing like what Seokjin had assumed, he wasn’t stuck up nor was he someone who was picky about who he interacted with, but rather he was openly honest about any topic they landed on. He emanated warmth, making it easy for Seokjin to confide in him. But of course since it was Seokjin, who in all likelihood had lady luck frowning down upon him the minute he was born, bad luck was bound to head straight towards his direction. And to nobody’s surprise, it did. Knee deep into their conversation, he was startled by a stinging sensation on his cheek and almost passed out once he caught sight of a lone bee hovering around him. Seokjin had always been deathly afraid of bees, couldn’t stand being near them. He took one hand and placed it where the pain was coming from and felt a bump on his cheek, deep set in panic, his eyes widened. Thankfully Taehyung was consistently more on the perceptive side and quickly put two and two together, trying to calm Seokjin before he broke into a hysterical fit, but his words didn’t seem to be working when Seokjin continued to flail around in panic, swatting nothing but the air away.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Since no amount of hushing could alleviate the distress Seokjin was currently feeling, he leaned forward and one thing led to another. Seokjin faintly remembers the feeling of soft lips landing directly on his cheek, the sting on it was omitted almost immediately, backtracked to give way to the feeling of suddenly being kissed. Every other thought in Seokjin’s brain has been wiped clean.
Taehyung leaned back, fully satisfied with the results. “There, are you calm now?”
Seokjin, who looked like a fuse had been blown, blankly stared back at Taehyung, nodding his head. He placed his hand on his cheek once more, this time not caring about the bump or that a bee came close enough to his face to actually sting him, but he let his fingers trace the ghost of Taehyung’s lips, wondering why it affected him as much as it did.
“I’m stuffed. Let’s watch the stars.” Taehyung gave his belly a small pat, before laying down on the blanket, hands positioned behind his head, acting as a cushion.
Seokjin was still spiraling in his own little world, laid down on the spot next to Taehyung, precariously trying to figure out why it felt like he instantaneously developed acid reflux or why his stomach seemed to be doing ridiculous somersaults. His cheeks were burning too despite the cool wind.
Taehyung gasped as he began pointing out to a particular object in the sky. “Look! It’s the spring triangle!”
Seokjin squinted his eyes, not entirely sure if what he was seeing which was a cluster of stars forming something similar to a triangle. “Is it that one?” He pointed at it.
“Yeah, it means good things are coming our way. Spring is the time perfect time to start new things. Make changes.” Full of optimism, Taehyung cited.
If there’s one thing Seokjin probably needed in his life, it was a plethora of positivity. Life wasn’t terrible by any means, it just lacked a certain zest Seokjin was searching for. Jimin often complained how he could live his life doing the same things over and over again, rarely ever going out if not for overseeing the mart he was running, and out of all his friends, Jimin was the only one Seokjin usually saw since he worked part-time at the grocery. Maybe Seokjin really did require an element of surprise in his life, something fortuitous and unforeseen. He turned his head to the side, seeing how prominent the slope of Taehyung’s nose was and how Seokjin thinks the mole on it added even more beauty. The truth was, anyone with working eyes would be attracted to Taehyung, and Seokjin wasn’t impervious to how attractive Taehyung was, but in reality, Seokjin normally wouldn’t do anything about it. Perhaps it was the spring air inviting him to do something bold, something Kim Seokjin wouldn’t usually do. Or maybe it’s how the pink petals danced in the wind that gave him the courage to make these changes. Or perhaps it was how Taheyung’s skin seemed to be glistening under the moonlight.
His fingers gently brushed Taehyung’s chin, lifting it ever so slightly, Seokjin began to wonder if Taehyung coincidentally stumbled upon his shop one spring day, and tonight, a year later, also fell on a spring day. The coincidence was an uncanny sign. Just like how the constellations aligned for them tonight, maybe their paths were also destined to meet at a crossroads at one point.
For the first time in a long time, Seokjin didn’t want to think about what he was about to do and what it could result to. He just did it anyway. Closing the distance, he kissed Taehyung, gradually nibbling on his lower lips, allowing his distinct taste to grow on him. It felt longer than it really was, Taehyung cupped his hand on Seokjin’s face, not wanting to put an end to their kiss just yet, he drew him closer. By the time they distanced themselves, Seokjin reluctantly smiled at Taehyung, and to his surprise, Taehyung returned his smile.
“I didn’t.. I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?” Seokjin mused.
“That you felt the same way about me.”
Curiosity led him to this point, but Seokjin could not steer clear of the obtrusive butterflies in his stomach. If anything, going out on a date with Taehyung made him realize however fleeting happiness was, he should grab it while it came knocking on his door, or in his case, stumbling into his humble mart.
“You like me?”
Taehyung thought Seokjin was toying with him when he realized after a while that he apparently wasn’t.
“Why do you think I travel all the way down to S Mart when I happen to pass by at least a dozen other groceries on the way?”
Giving it some thought, Seokjin couldn’t come up with an answer as well.
“I thought you were a murderer.” He suddenly confessed in a solemn demeanor, which seemed to have the opposite effect on Taehyung who began cracking up continuously at this.
“Why are you laughing? I honestly thought you were part of the mafia or something.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Taehyung took deep breaths to calm himself back down again. “It’s just that I knew I was right about you. I had a crush on you because frankly, I thought you were cute. But as the weeks and months passed, I started frequenting your store more often hoping to learn more about you. And sometimes I didn’t have anything to buy, but bought random items anyway.”
Something other than flowers were definitely blooming. Seokjin realized how oblivious he had been, too caught up in his silly conspiracy theories that he completely overlooked the way Taehyung’s eyes sparkled whenever he tried to initiate a conversation or the way Taehyung took his precious time at the counter, moving as slow as possible to prolong their time together. And due to his incessant incognizant state, it took Seokjin longer than it should have had to realize how ever since Taehyung started coming around more often, he would look forward to these visits, although they never really interacted much, it gave him a piece of serenity knowing that Taehyung was nearby.
“I’d like to see you again.” He brazenly stated.
“You see me everyday.” Taehyung sarcastically supplied, a hopeful glint in his eye.
“That's different. What I meant was, let’s have more dates. I think the good thing that was supposed to come into my life was you, as cliché as it sounds.”
“When you handed me a loyalty card, I wasn’t expecting it to come with your loyalty too.” Taehyung joked, burying his lips into his sleeve as he muffled his laughter. “Of course I’ll go out with you, even if you suspected that I was killing people behind your back.”
Taehyung sat up, outstretched arms above him as a mixture of pollen, grass, a few stray petals and tenderness fluctuating in the air around them. “I like you a lot, hyung.” The sudden confession caused Seokjin to turn his head towards Taehyung’s direction, wide-eyed as he glanced at him.
The hesitation within Seokjin was diminished, either the butterflies were throwing a party or his instincts were solidifying what he already knew. “And I like you a lot as well.”
There was an indisputable glimmer that radiated from Taehyung’s smile as he offered one hand to Seokjin, an invitation, a chance to see what other possibilities had waiting for him by Taehyung’s side. Seokjin placed his hand in Taehyung’s, which Taehyung giddily clasped together as he pulled Seokjin up.
“Come over tonight?” He shyly asked Seokjin.
Seokjn never really went past hand holding on the first date, but kissed Taehyung without any reluctance, with the same amount of fearlessness, he nodded his head in agreement, riding on whatever spellbinding magic this night had on him to take him even further.
Spring was the time to make big changes and for new beginnings, needless to change Seokjin made a noticeable change in his life starting from that night.
The next day he waltzed into the mart with a buoyant aura emitting from him, Jimin stopped what he was doing and paused to inspect what had changed overnight. His demeanor wasn’t different, there was anything unprecedented physically, but somehow Seokjin seemed.. happier.
With a mischievous look in his face, Jimin decided to form a hypothesis of his own, hoping that Seokjin would divulge more information when he got annoyed enough. “Hyung, did you actually get laid last night?” Chuckling as he insinuated with his teasing.
But lo and behold, Seokjin came into work not only with a perceptible change, but also equipped with surprises of his own.
“Matter of fact, I did.” He replied with a smug smile, leaving Jimin shell-shocked with the information he clearly wasn’t expecting. “Would it be okay if I left early today? I have a date with my boyfriend.”
Jimin’s mind was utterly blown away at this point. “Boyfriend???? What boyfriend?? Last time I checked, I left work last night with you being single.”
“Things change, Jimin-ssi. Ah, there he is.”
And true enough, Taehyung was steadily approaching the front doors, huge smile on his face as he rushed towards Seokjin, handing him a small brown paper bag. “Snacks for you and Jimin. Hi Jimin!” He waved towards the blonde who was still struggling to digest what was happening. “See you later?”
“I’ll pick you up once I’m done here.” Seokjin placed a chaste kiss on his head, now bearing a similar lovestruck, goofy grin on his face. In the years that Jimin has known Seokjin, he has never, not once, displayed any form of affection towards anyone, and now he was pecking somebody’s forehead. But it didn’t take long for Jimin to realize what, or rather who, brought about these changes, if anything, these were changes he knew Seokjin needed in his life. He watched with genuine fondness how whatever happened between them last night sparked a brightness he had never seen on Seokjin before.
Once Taehyung left, Jimin had to say his peace. “Hyung, I’m happy that you’re happy.”
The expression on Seokjin’s face said it all. “What can I say?” He said with a shrug. “Spring brings us things we didn’t know we needed.”
Kim Taehyung stepped inside a newly opened store not knowing exactly what he was searching for, but as soon as he saw the prettiest smile on the brunette cashier, accompanied by the most peculiar yet enthralling laugh, he knew precisely what he would be returning to the store for.
End.