IMBER | jikook

4 • the deal

On that day, for the first time in a year, the young man in overalls didn't show up. Jungkook had convinced himself that he didn't care, that this rude and mean character had no effect on him, but it wasn't true. He was so used to his presence every week, at the same time and in the same place, that suddenly not seeing him there left him with a strange feeling of worry.

Without realizing it, he found himself waiting for him, looking through the shop window to see if the little head with orange hair and freckles on his cheeks would finally appear. He was usually impossible to miss.

It wasn't just his mannerisms that were unique, or the way he dressed or styled his hair, but his appearance itself. Despite his typically Asian and Korean face, he proudly sported freckles and eyes with a blend of light brown and green that further emphasized the delicate features of his face. Jungkook could have thought they were contact lenses, but seeing Mrs. Park who had come with flowers a few days ago, he had noticed the striking resemblance between the two. It was so rare to see a mixed-race child even in the twenty-first century in Korea that he hadn't imagined this person could have a foreign mother. Most people married to foreigners quickly left Korea when they wanted to start a family, something Jungkook only half understood. As for himself, he couldn't imagine living anywhere else; he would probably never get used to any environment other than the one he had known for years.

After waiting for over an hour, seated in the same spot without noticing him in the shop, he finally got up, ringing the bell as the door closed behind him. He began to walk towards his usual bus stop. He had no desire to paint lately; after what his teacher had said to him, he felt somewhat disoriented. He couldn't stop thinking about it every time he touched a paint brush; he felt so pathetic.

As he was about to turn at the end of the street, he heard a splashing sound and a soul-wrenching cry. The kind of cry you don't even hear from the most talented actors, the kind of cry that can't be reproduced, the kind of cry that conveys the worst of feelings. He turned around, apprehension twisting his stomach. A small crowd had formed around the bridge, watching the small pool without acting, seeming almost amused by what they saw.

He made his way through the people, alerted by the continuous cries. Realizing what it was, he widened his eyes, amazed by the least predictable scene. A young man was sitting in the pool, evidently having accidentally fallen into it, covering his face, which Jungkook guessed was in tears as he trembled all over. Looking closer, he saw what terrified him so much and realized it was the little frog that had settled on his knee, mistaking it for a lily pad. He could have found it funny and ridiculous like everyone else, but the heart-wrenching cries showed very well that it wasn't amusing for the young man. And it was when the latter moved his arms slightly that he recognized the pout of the character who had said that his art was boring enough to yawn at. He hadn't immediately recognized him, the young man not dressed as usual but rather in a neat and delicate manner, wearing beige pants and a large white shirt. His face, which had never shown any expression, was now reddened and twisted by tears. He had never seen a face so expressive, so elegant and soft even in such a horrible moment. His expressions were fascinating. Jungkook, who usually felt nothing but indifference towards others, found himself jumping into the pool, water soaking his shoes and jeans up to his knees. His heart squeezed and raced as he waved his hand to scare away the little frog before grabbing the trembling shoulders of his counterpart to reassure him, helping him up afterwards. He took off his jacket and placed it over his head, hiding his face and covering him at the same time to warm him up minimally before turning to the crowd filming them.

- What are you looking at? Move away, you bunch of idiots! There's nothing entertaining about watching someone clearly in need of help, you dimwits!

He pressed Jimin's lower back, pushing him out of the pool before pushing people out of his way, his arm wrapped around the painter's waist, who seemed in a daze. It was only about half an hour later, after the character had calmed down, his face hidden behind his hands as Jungkook patiently waited nearby on a bench in a nearby park, that Jimin finally raised his teary eyes to him.

Jungkook wasn't stupid; he could see very well that he wanted to thank him but didn't know how, and that he was embarrassed by the state he was in.

- So, this time, you are going to remember this fall, huh?

The elder gave him a dark look before turning away, but the younger had time to catch a hint of amusement in his eyes, which strangely swelled his chest, as if he were glad to have elicited something other than a neutral expression from him.

- Can you at least tell me how you ended up there, or do you not remember either?

- I just fell.

- And you were crying as if you had seen Tony Stark's death live just because you fell into the water? I admit it was a clumsy fall, but there's no need to shed so many tears for so little.

There was a brief moment of silence where Jimin stared at his counterpart, wondering whether or not to tell him the truth.

- It's the frog...

- The frog?

- Yes. It jumped on me.

- You're crying like that because of frogs? It wasn't even dangerous.

- It was. I know it. It lodges in your throat and prevents you from breathing and talking.

Jungkook quickly got tired of this exchange. It was so strange and illogical that trying to understand it was beyond his abilities. He was brought back from his thoughts by a finger gently tapping on his hand, making him turn to Jimin.

- Thank you, by the way, for earlier...

He offered him a slight smile, barely raising his beautiful freckled cheekbones as his eyes disappeared into crescents of the moon. This sight froze Jungkook in place, just like in the pool; he had never seen such sincere and clear expressions on anyone. As Jimin was about to get up from the bench, he caught him by his wrist.

- Do you think a simple thank you suffices?

Jimin turned to him, surprised, and even this emotion was radiant on him.

- Excuse me?

- I jumped into that pool, ruined my shoes and jeans, and my jacket is wet too since I lent it to you. Not to mention I saved you from a fierce frog.

He saw Jimin hesitate for a moment before sitting back down, defeated. He hated owing something to someone.

- What do you want then?

It was the moment to take the plunge; if it wasn't him, Jungkook knew nothing extraordinary would happen in his life.

- Help me. I want to understand how you see the world. Explain to me how one can cry over a frog but forget that they fell in front of an entire shop, how one can buy the same things every week at the same time for over a year without ever changing their habits despite an appearance that never remains the same, whether it's your way of dressing or coloring your hair. I want to understand all of this.

Jimin looked at him, taken aback, not realizing he had been watching him for so long. For his part, he had never noticed the younger man at the shop; he never paid attention to his surroundings. Regarding his request, he hesitated for a moment; they didn't know each other at all, and he was slightly anxious about meeting new people. Suddenly, he thought of Taehyung. A shiver ran down his spine. Maybe it wasn't so bad that he filled his head with something else. It had shocked him so much that he hadn't seen the bike and had been thrown into the pool on his way back from his outing with his best friend. His face closed up as he thought about it, pinching his lips to avoid crying again.

- All right...