Orange Deficiency〆Jeon Jungkook

⋆Epilogue

community society, area of people

Sora

I walked through the door with a smile adorning my face, turning my eyes into slithers of half-moons.

 It was my creation. A vision originally brainstormed, erased, replaced, put into paper, was now real. I was in it. The interior had been designed to be light and airy. The crisp white furniture beneath the metal, round, glass ceiling which flooded the room with light and the greenery placed along each corner made the space feel friendly, cozy but not like home. It looked fancy really, with the couches and throw pillows and paintings on the wooden walls. I loved its clarity and simplicity, and if anything, I was proud of the result. It was bustling with people who chatted and laughed and ate and enjoyed each other's company while the rest of my people served them to their liking. It brought me joy. Joy formed by a sense of accomplishment. 

I turned my head to the side, noticing Jungkook who stressfully worked in the bar area to get the drinks out in time. He seemed to be engulfed in his own chaos, and so he didn't notice when I walked to the counter and stared directly at his muscular back. I wanted his attention, just for a second, so he could tell me what feelings the day had stirred, but he was so occupied that I didn't want to be of a bother to him. 

We were lucky that the business was doing so well on the first day. Mr Han, our marketing manager, had done a great job at luring customers into our store. We were happy for him to be part of our team, and Taehyung had done a great job at choosing him for it, because other than the three of us, the team lacked members. There was also Yuna, our cook, and Gido, our baker, but other than them the waiters were only part-timers and had only been hired a few days before our opening. 

I walked over to the nearest table. It was right in the middle of the room. A large table, but I wasn't going to be alone. I'd invited some special guests over so they could enjoy the space that their friends had created, and to bring some joy to Jungkook and Taehyung. They would be exhausted. It was the least I could do. 

On that thought, a woman walked into the store and her eyes roamed every inch of it. She seemed to be ogling its interior, but I wasn't quite sure. She smiled, and I stood to make sure she could find me. In the next couple of seconds, her eyes met mine and she made her way over to me in no time, along with a pair of boys who had just come in behind her.

I bowed. "Mrs Jeon, how nice to see you!". Her eyes filled with light, and she opened her arms to place me in her warm, motherly embrace. She'd always been nice to me. Not once provoked me or dared to say I wasn't good for her Son. I didn't know why. Was it Jungkook? Was it me? Her instincts? Either way, I was grateful for it. She treated me like her family from the beginning. Despite everything that went on since Jungkook and I met. 

Once she took a seat, I noticed Jimin and Yoongi walking in together. 

"So this is the free life" Jimin announced humorously with a sweet expression on his face. Even Yoongi didn't look like his usual bad-tempered or tired self.  He had warmth around him. All of that hinted we'd have a lot to catch up on. We weren't too close. The boys, Taehyung and Jungkook, had invited the pair over for beers many times, so I'd gotten to know them well enough to be comfortable around them. This was the purpose of today, in a way, of me meeting these people here. It was to get to know them. They were the few people in Jungkook's life and now that I was part of it too I felt obliged to grow a further bond with them. 

I zapped out of my thoughts. "Indeed it is".

There was one seat to still be filled. At the head of the table. I'd been unsure about his arrival all day, and that uncertainty only grew as time ticked away, but I kept hoping. He might change his mind. 

"So..." Yoongi began, his eyes lifted to look at the immaculate ceiling, then laid over mine. "You designed this?". There was a tone hinting at awe in his voice. I tried to refrain from looking touched, but my cheeks had turned a dark crimson colour and that was out of my control. Embarrassing, but yeah. I was proud and there was nothing wrong with that. 

"I did yeah" I replied. "Do you like it?".

"You're very talented" Mrs Jeon spoke, and despite everyone answering, I only heard her. My body turned to the side, facing her. "It's beautiful in here. It seems you are very good at what you do, so I wonder how you've been unoccupied for so long".

Things hadn't worked out, that was all. "Well, I'm hoping this will come as the beginning of success". It was weird to say, but it showed my pure sentiments. I'd worked hard to finish school, to get where I was, but life itself made me lose whatever progress I had made in it's chaos. Now that things had settled I could focus on my job. Nothing and no one was stopping me. If anything I had someone to lean on incase I fell over, got pushed over. I was confident he'd be there to catch me. "Thankyou for your kindness".

Yoongi fiddled in the corner, grabbing my attention. "I actually love what you did with the place too. It's why I asked. It's so dreamy it amazes me how you came up with the design, it really opens up the space, brightens up the area. To think this was a very old building...woah. Amazing". 

Hearing Yoongi say it was touching. While Jimin let his eyes wander around the place, probably unaware of our conversation, I felt warmth. It wasn't expected from him. That reason only made his comment even more flattering than it would normally be. "That was my vision, so I'm glad it came out".

"You're vision is one of a kind" I heard a familiar voice, then felt lips press against my forehead. When I turned around, I saw a very smiley Jungkook who was greeting everyone around the table. Taehyung walked by soon after, extremely surprised and holding a pad to take our order. It was hectic, so he probably hadn't seen us come in. 

"Sora" He exclaimed. "This was you huh?".

I nodded, laughing lowly at his cute reaction. You could always expect one from Taehyung. 

"Gosh I love you". He exclaimed. Jungkook glared at him threateningly. 

Just to make even more of a scene, I continued. "I love you too".

Jungkook, my loving boyfriend, obviously annoyed and not trying to hide it, rolled his eyes. "Should I leave?".

"Ok, bye" Taehyung spoke, right next to his face. He loved provoking Jungkook, like the best friend he was and so did I. It was one of the things we had in common. 

Before the shenanigan could go any further, loafers could be heard hitting on the floor, approaching. He's here. I stood. There he was, towering over everyone the tall man walked over to our table. It stressed me to see Jungkook's reaction. He'd come to good terms with Namjoon but still hadn't seen him in over a month. Sure, he'd played us, yet there was something trusting about him that made me want him close. He was a nice man and come to think of it he'd only been doing what he'd been asked to, doing his job well. We couldn't blame him for being proffessional.

"Hey uhm" He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

I remained still, staring Jungkook straight in the eyes as he seemed taken aback by the man's appearance. I needed his permission to welcome him. It wasn't my decision to make. Once he noticed, he looked at me, and not so confidently nodded in assurance. 

I put on a smile and walked over to Namjoon, offering him a place at the remaining seat at the table. He thanked me politely and sat down shyly. Through the course of the evening, we'd made him feel accepted. I could tell because he started conversing more, chatting, telling stories. He was a cool guy, and he had alot to say. I was happy to accept him in our small circle. We were having fun, but something was still missing. 

Jungkook pulled two chairs, taking a seat next to me as Taehyung brought a round of beers to the table. "Can we join?" They asked. The question served no answer.

Now, we were truly complete. A community, that's what we were, and we would share the very essence of it with others. 

"To a happy life?" Jimin proposed a toast.

It was rather fitting. After all that we'd been through, every single one of us, in our own way, we deserved a happy ending. Mine? Mine was right here. 

I smiled, ecstatic. We clunked our beer bottles together. "To a happy life".