Love Story Short | Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 2

"Is this really your office?" 

"Yeah! Is it nice?"

"It is very nice."

"Thank you. Take a seat."

"Would you like anything? Coffee, tea, juice?" 

"Just water is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I was early and had a big brunch at the restaurant across the street. Bonjour Bistro, I think."

"Aah, their portions are pretty loaded. They make really delicious dishes. Definitely one of my favorite food shops in Seoul. There are so many other great restaurants in this street alone."

"Lucky you."

"You will be working here too, so you will have plenty of time to try them all."

"...It will take me a while to get used to this."

Could have been five minutes or five hours — the  concept of time has lost its correspondence. Jungkook has no idea how long Jimin has been sitting in his office. But he can tell is that it isn't nearly as bad as his younger self would have imagined reuniting with Jimin would be.

Jungkook has matured. Anybody who meets him tells, but only he can truly understand the extent of change the past five years has brought onto him. He hasn't become unrecognizable enough to split personalities, but he also doesn't feel like his head is underwater every time he runs into one of fate's impulsive twists. He is nowhere near discerning the mysterious ways life works itself out, but he can understand himself better. He has come a long way, which has been an utterly painful journey but so worth it, and he knows time only moves forward. That can only be good news, because it means he will never be as callow as he was five years ago.

The biggest difference between Jungkook from five years ago and Jungkook from the present is that present-Jungkook doesn't break into a cold sweat when he looks Jimin in the eyes for more than two seconds. Present-Jungkook doesn't feel like running away when Jimin compliments him. And present-Jungkook doesn't feel like crying upon realizing that yes, they are still two very different people. 

That seems to be the one thing that has remained the same between them.

It's a new kind of different, but it is lingering in the air. Jungkook would  like to believe that he has studied Jimin long enough to recognize the flickering sparkles in his eyes, how they come and go amidst subjects. And not just only during the conversation. For one thing, Jungkook doesn't look like a loser anymore, indeed, the name plate on his desk spells the opposite:

Jeon Jungkook | Senior Business Analyst

This is his office and Park Jimin is sitting in his office, falling short of digesting the fact that he gets to work with Jungkook when he wasn't even aware that Jungkook was in the same city as himself. Well. It's not his fault for not knowing.

"How are your parents? Are they doing well?"

Jungkook smiles, nodding. "Yes, they are. My father went through surgery to get his gallbladder removed, so he has been doing so much better since then. My mother is doing well too, she is as positive and strong as always."

"I'm so glad to hear that, Jungkook-ah," Jimin says with sincerity. The nickname is what's ringing on Jungkook's ears though, and he has to physically force himself to blink out of the memories threatening to flood his vision if he clings to it a little bit longer. 

"What about yours?"

Jimin shrugs, hesitating for a while. He breathes out a tired laugh upon the concern that flashes through Jungkook's eyes. "They are good, nothing to worry about. Their marriage didn't work out for the best but they are still trying."