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The nerves turned Jimin’s stomach upside down, making his gut twist and his chest ache uncomfortably. Jimin had been nervous a lot in his life. When he confessed to Taehyung and later Jeongguk, during his engagement and wedding, and nowadays, every time Taehyung brought him along to visit his horse.
(Yes, horses might be regal but gentle creatures, but Jimin was still deadly afraid of them. Much to Jeongguk and Taehyung’s amusement, those brats.)
But these nerves were different. Today was different.
Today was his first day working at the business.
After a long time of fretting about asking Jeongguk and thinking about the right ways to approach the topic, he’d finally found the courage a few days ago over dinner. He had been nervous, then, as well, but not as intensely. He’d mostly worried that there was nothing he could contribute to the pack’s business and that there simply wouldn’t be a position he could work in.
But Jeongguk had quelled his worries immediately. He’d been delighted by Jimin’s request, his eyes round with excitement.
“I can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t find something to do, we can always need help! How about you start working under Yoongi-hyung? That way you wouldn’t have to work with a complete stranger.”
Jimin had agreed easily, his heart feeling lighter in his chest. Even though he wouldn’t readily admit it, having his hyung there to guide him relieved him greatly.
Alas, he’d forgotten one key element. He didn’t even know what Yoongi’s work in the business was.
So, here he was, standing uncertainly next to his hyung and trying not to let his nervousness show. Yoongi was busy unlocking the door to his part of the compound that hosted the business. Most of it were wooden, rectangular warehouses which were in impeccable shape, not one showing that they had been in use for several decades. Workers were already bustling around, loading and unloading carts with crates and sacks full of what Jimin presumed were the spices integral to the Jeon pack’s business.
The room - or rather hall - Yoongi guided him into was located on the outermost part of one of the warehouses. Light was filtering in through windows on the other side of the hall, pointing east and washing everything in the glow of the morning sun rising. The light illuminated stacks upon stacks of crates, the odd sack here and there and a handful of desks right in the middle of the room. Stacks of papers and journals were positioned neatly next to writing utensils, a jarring juxtaposition from the mess of the rest of the room surrounding the tables.
“There we are”, Yoongi said, his voice morning-grumbly and deep, while he stowed away the key in the depths of his hanbok. He was wearing one Jimin hadn’t seen on him before, not as colorful and intricate as the hanboks he wore at the tea ceremonies. Probably something simpler that could get stained, judging by the fabric.
Jimin didn’t know what to say, so he merely nodded and followed Yoongi to the desks, careful not to bump into anything on the way (some of the crates were stacked so precariously, Jimin was sure one wrong look would make them topple over and he didn’t want to be responsible for that mess).
“What is it exactly that you do, Yoongi-hyung?”, Jimin asked, narrowly avoiding stepping on a sack that, judging from the foreign characters on it, came all the way from the Qing territory.
“Oh, Jeongguk hasn’t told you?”, Yoongi replied, not sounding surprised in the least. “I help with controlling the shipments we get. Mostly, I’m making sure that we received the right amount and the quality is up to par.”
Impressed, Jimin stepped up to the desk and realised that the papers were covered in lists of shipment details. He already itched to get a closer look at them, but that could wait.
“So what’s in all these crates?”, he inquired and chanced another look around. He felt like the amount of boxes had somehow doubled in size. There were just so many of them, but as far as he could tell, not two crates contained the same product. There were boxes in all sizes and forms, some round and some rectangular, and even the sacks were made from different materials. Plus, the labelling was different on each of them. Jimin could only read the ones written on in hangul, but even then there weren’t two that contained the same thing. He was at a bit of a loss.
“These crates are each a sample of a shipment we have received recently. We go through them and determine whether it’s the product we ordered and if it’s safe to consume. You have to get used to it, I guess, our system is a bit...unconventional”, Yoongi admitted with a chuckle, regarding the towering crates around them. “When we approve of the product, we note it down in the journals or the delivery note, which we hand over to the distribution workers in the evenings.”
Jimin hummed in understanding. “How do you know if the quality is alright?”
Yoongi shook his head slightly and sucked air in through his teeth in contemplation. “You need a bit of experience, I’d say. But in my case, my nose certainly helps.” He turned to Jimin, a finger raised to his nose as if to demonstrate. “I have a slightly superior sense of smell. I wasn’t even aware of it, mind you, until I started working here. I could make out smells the other workers didn’t catch, like moldy sacks, or when a spice or tea had been tampered with. Some sellers mix in other, cheaper ingredients to make more profit, but it really hurts the quality of the products we sell. That’s exactly what we try to find out here, and eliminate.”
Suddenly, Jimin looked at the mess of boxes in the hall in an entire new light. He felt like he was a detective in one of Jeongguk’s novels, about to coax secrets and hidden mysteries out of the crates, determining their worth with a single sniff. Excitement rose in him.
“Let’s get to it, shall we?”, he asked with an excited grin.
After a week of going through crates and the occasional sack (and weren’t those a nuisance to handle), Jimin (and his nose) had had about enough. He felt like his nose was perpetually stuffy from all the different substances he inhaled, and every afternoon, he returned to their quarters with a headache he tried not to let show. He was too prideful for that. He didn’t appreciate feeling like a failure, and he wasn’t sure if Jeongguk would still let him work if he admitted to it.
Because even though it was mildly unpleasant physically, he came to cherish the time spent away from his yard. Yoongi and the other workers were pleasant to be around and didn’t treat him condescendingly for his inexperience. He could see himself becoming friends with them easily. He didn’t want to let go of that.
Still, as he entered the hall this morning and eyed the new crates that had been moved here overnight, he could swear his nose itched already. When he walked over to Yoongi and the box of cardamom he was inspecting, the itch became stronger and he barely avoided sneezing loudly into the spices. He sniffled miserably and silently scolded himself for not bringing a handkerchief. Yeongjae, one of the other workers, who had arrived earlier than him, glanced at him in surprise but turned back to his own sack soon enough.
Meanwhile, Yoongi scrutinized him worriedly. “Your nose looks swollen”, he observed. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped closer to inspect him. “It looks very red, almost as if it’s inflamed. Are you okay, Jimin?”
Jimin clenched his teeth. “Yeah, I’m-” Another sneeze rattled through him. “...fine”, he finished stubbornly. Yoongi simply raised an eyebrow and kept silent.
“Oh, alright”, Jimin groaned. “My nose can’t handle all that spice, and the sniffing has been giving me headaches. But please don’t tell Jeongguk!”, he pleaded. “I want to keep working. I’m tired of sitting around all day waiting for dinnertime to come.” The thought of going back to that kind of life, the only highlights the tea ceremonies and preparation for dinner, was dreadful. He’d choose a little headache over that every day.
“Oh, Jimin-ah”, Yoongi sighed in sympathy. “I understand. I won’t tell him, I promise, and don’t fret, we will find something else you can do around here.”
A bit of tension drained out of Jimin, his shoulders going slack. He sniffed quietly. “Thank you, hyung.”
“Nevermind it”, Yoongi assured him, putting his hand on Jimin’s upper arm consolingly. “Still, you should have told me sooner that you’re in pain. I don’t like the thought of you suffering in silence, so I expect you to tell me when something bothers you again, understood?” His voice turned slightly steely in the end, and Jimin gulped guiltily.
“Yes, hyung. Understood.”, he replied, holding Yoongi’s gaze to show him his earnestness.
“Very good”, Yoongi said gruffly. “Now, would you fetch me the sheet for this day’s new arrivals? You can note down what I’ve already done.”
The rest of his work day, Jimin followed Yoongi and sometimes the other workers around, jotting down which crates were clear for sale and what produce didn’t have the right quality. The itch in his nose went away almost completely, and in the times the others were inspecting the goods, he finally had the time to take a closer look at the papers he’d been eyeing from his first day.
Over the next few days, he figured out how to read them properly, which column depicted what and how to classify the product irregularities. Each document clearly noted where the product came from, who had sold it to the Jeon pack, in what quantity and for what price. At first, he’d been overwhelmed by the amount of numbers and information, but soon he found he felt rather comfortable juggling all these figures. Soon, he was also tasked with transferring the information of the approved shipments into the trade journals. That was where it got interesting.
Jimin knew he had a knack for numbers. Granted, he had only been taught a basic amount of mathematics, but with the help of the books Jeongguk brought him, he had deepened his knowledge slowly but steadily. He was proud to say that handling numbers didn’t strain him. In fact, he enjoyed it much more than embroidering or knitting.
Still, some numbers didn’t check out the way he’d expected them to. At first he was afraid that he’d messed up the calculations, but after asking Yeongjae to look them over, his suspicions were confirmed.
Something was definitely wrong.
When they settled down after dinner that day, Taehyung painting on his easel and humming a quiet tune, Jeongguk perched on the ground next to him and watching his progress, Jimin plucked up his courage and pulled the trade journal he’d secretly taken with him out of his gown.
“Jeongguk, can you please come over here? I want to show you something”, he called the alpha quietly. His mate came readily, but froze when he saw what Jimin was holding.
“Is that one of the trade journals? Why do you have that, Jimin?”, he asked, his tone uncharacteristically sharp. Jimin decided not to be intimidated by it.
“Yes, it is. As you know, I’m in charge of adding in the information of quality and whether the product has been approved.”
Jimin had told both of them how his duties had shifted and even had begrudgingly admitted that quality control had not been his strong suit. Taehyung and Jeongguk had scolded him for keeping his discomfort a secret, but Jimin could tell that it had come from a place of concern and love.
“Yoongi-hyung also asked me to note down the successful transactions in the journals, and in doing so, I’ve discovered some … irregularities.”, Jimin explained. Jeongguk looked startled, but also intrigued.
“Show me”, he demanded and leaned closer.
Jimin opened the journal and rifled through it until he found the right page.
“Alright, here”, he started and pointed to a line that showed the details of a transaction involving sea salt. He turned the page and showed Jeongguk two more lines, also about sea salt, but with different vendors.
“At first I was confused that we get sea salt from three different vendors, but Yeongjae explained to me that the business can’t rely on one vendor in case one of them can’t supply us any more. And I understand that, but what caught my eye was how vastly different the prices for these transactions were. Even though we bought the same amount every time.”
Jeongguk’s brow furrowed. He took the journal from Jimin and flipped through the pages again, comparing the numbers.
“That wasn’t the only product where that’s the case. I also saw that we made transactions with provinces rather far away where the quality wasn’t good enough to justify the extra costs for the long transport”, Jimin added, his voice tapering off at the end when Jeongguk didn’t look at him, all but ignoring him.
Abruptly, he worried that he’d overstepped some kind of line. What did he know, after all? He’d been working for the business for not even a full month. He didn’t know the business ties that the Jeons had with these distributors. There were so many people involved in the trade relationships, people much smarter than him, like Namjoon. It couldn’t be that this had never attracted their attention, could it?
A shiver crawled down his spine. He’d definitely crossed a line. Jeongguk still didn’t spare him a glance, looking over the rows in the journal with a heavy gaze and a frown. Jimin felt increasingly uneasy in his silence, biting his lips restlessly. He was shortly distracted by a ruffle of clothes and Taehyung that stepped next to him, bringing a calming wave of cherry pheromones with him and slinging an arm around Jimin’s waist. Jimin immediately felt better and relaxed a little into his hold.
“What’s going on over here?”, Taehyung inquired cheerfully. He stood on his tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the journal. “That doesn’t look like one of your scandalous romance novels, Gukkie”, he teased good-naturedly but deflated a bit when Jeongguk still didn’t react.
Jimin couldn’t take it any longer.
“Look, Jeongguk, I’m sorry. I’m overstepping. Namjoon-hyung and Seokjin-hyung know what they’re doing. It isn’t my place to question the business decisions they make. Just, just forget about it, alright?”
Taehyung’s eyes widened and his smile dimmed slightly in confusion. Jeongguk finally looked up from the journal and fixed Jimin with an unreadable stare.
“I can’t believe this”, Jeongguk said quietly. Jimin grit his teeth, his shoulders hunching. Taehyung made a small noise in protest, but before he could start talking, Jeongguk went on.
“It checks out. Everything you just said. I can’t believe hyungs didn’t notice.”
Jimin was frozen in place. “What are you saying?,” Taehyung wanted to know. “What’s this all about?”
“Jimin discovered some irregularities in our trade partners. How we pay different prices for the same good.” Jeongguk shook his head in disbelief. “He’s completely right. Unless someone mixed up the numbers very, very badly, this is an oversight that costs us a good amount of money.” He laughed unbelievingly.
“You said the sea salt wasn’t the only case?”, he wanted to know.
Jimin blinked rapidly, coming out of his rigor with a start. Now that the expected scolding didn’t come, he could breathe easier.
“Ye-yes.” He cleared his throat. “I also noticed it with the sugar and the mustard seeds.”
Jeongguk laughed, still flipping through the pages of the journal but not paying attention to the contents. He looked at Jimin, instead, his eyes shining. He looked astonished but also impressed.
“I don’t know what to say, Jimin. This is amazing!” His gaze turned proud. “I can’t believe you figured that out. This is really going to help the business.”
A smile tugged Jimin’s lips up as relief was spreading through him.
“I’m going to show this to Namjoon-hyung first thing in the morning. He needs to know about this.”, Jeongguk decided and put the journal down on the table.
“Shouldn’t you take Jiminie to talk to Namjoon-ssi?”Taehyung spoke up next to him. “He is the one who noticed the irregularities and told you about them, after all.” He raised an eyebrow, watching Jeongguk expectantly.
Jeongguk’s eyes grew even bigger than they already were. Jimin felt a heady rush of affection surging up in him at Taehyung’s advocacy. Leave it to him to always stand up for Jimin, even when Jimin didn’t even think it was necessary. He was right, though. Jimin deserved to be there and present his findings himself.
“Of course I’ll take him. Hyung will be so impressed.”, Jeongguk replied hastily.
“I am pretty impressive”, Jimin smiled coyly.
Jeongguk grinned back and leaned in for a short, wonderfully sweet kiss that filled Jimin with warmth. “That you are, jagi.”, he said once they parted. “I’m so glad and thankful that you’re my mate.”
Jimin could feel a tiny rush of emotion from Jeongguk’s side of the bond, a wild mixture of gratefulness, admiration, adoration and wonder.
“Hey, what about me?”, Taehyung pouted jokingly from next to them. Jimin and Jeongguk laughed and turned to him. After mischievously glancing at each other, they proceeded to cover Taehyung’s face with exaggerated kisses until he gasped with laughter and begged them to stop.
“I’m glad to have both of you”, Taehyung said quietly once they’d settled down again. They’d spread out on the ground, Jimin and Taehyung laying on Jeongguk’s stomach, all cuddled together.
“Me too”, Jeongguk said softly while stroking through their hair. With the way they were laying next to each other, it would probably get tangled up horribly, but that was a problem for the future.
“Me three”, Jimin added. He took Taehyung’s hand and grasped it tightly.
He thought about the talk he and Jeongguk would have to have with Namjoon tomorrow, and for once, he didn’t feel nervous about a confrontation. He knew that his mate would be right there with him, and Taehyung’s love would follow him wherever he went.
He couldn’t help but feel excited about the changes that were about to come. For once, he wasn’t nervous. He knew he always had a home with the two boys who took his heart.