➵ jimin
it was around two in the afternoon, and i was wiping the tables at work. taehyung and youngjae were serving customers, so i decided to clean up. i'd already swept behind the counter, done the dishes, and wiped down the latte machine.
the doors chimed behind me, and the last of the customers walked out. after finishing off the last table, i walked back around the counter and started making myself a macchiato.
"so, jimin, i wanted to talk to you about something," taehyung stepped close to me, an unsure expression on his usually cheery face.
"hm?" i hummed, glancing at him as i poured my coffee into a cup and took a sip.
taehyung shifted his weight from foot to foot. "i've been talking with jungkook, and i really like him."
my eyes shot up to look at him, an odd feeling in my stomach. "oh?"
"and i know you didn't really like the idea of me and him together, but i swear i won't do anything to hurt him. i really...," he looked at me with puppy eyes, "really like him."
i sighed, taking a long drink of my coffee and turning to face the door. youngjae was busying himself by counting the money in the register, even though we didn't do that till closing. i could tell he was trying not to eavesdrop.
"he's like my little brother. we've been best friends since preschool, and i would do anything to keep him happy and safe. i know you're a good guy, tae, i just know it won't last forever and either both or one of you is going to get hurt. but, i suppose i can't do much about that." i looked down at my shoes, and then up at taehyung. "if you really care for him, then i can't stop you from being together. just, treat him like he's your world, okay?"
taehyung broke out into his signature box smile, and wrapped me in a hug. "thank you, jiminie. i swear i will."
***
"hyung!" i called out, sliding my shoes off as i shut the front door behind me. "i'm home!"
"in here."
i padded to the living room, where i found yoongi curled up on the couch clutching what looked to be a photo frame in his hands. i frowned, stopping in my tracks when i saw his face.
a single tear was running down his cheek.
"hyung? are you alright?" i asked carefully, knowing how yoongi could react if i pried too much.
he quickly reached up and wiped away the tear, looking up at me. "yeah, i'm fine. come... come here jimin." yoongi motioned for me to come closer, so i walked over to the couch and sat down gently beside him.
i could now see what he was holding. in the frame was a photo of a man and a woman, and two young boys. the family looked to be on vacation, as it was sunny out and everyone was standing on a beach.
"hyung, is that... your family?" i slowly reached my hand out and rested it on top of yoongi's slightly trembling one, rubbing my thumb over the pale skin.
he nodded, sniffling, and pointed a finger at the shorter of the two boys. "that's me," he said, and then moved his finger to the taller boy. "and that's yoonho."
as i examined the picture, i could see there were few differences between yoongi and his brother. while there may have been two years between them, they bore strong resemblances to each other.
"and that's my mom and dad," finished yoongi, sounding even sadder.
i grasped his hand tighter, "did something happen, yoongi hyung?"
"today is my mother's birthday. i guess i just got emotional since i haven't spoken to her since i left daegu," mumbled yoongi.
i pouted my lips, and curled up closer to yoongi, pressing a kiss to his pale cheek. we sat there for a few minutes before i got an idea and tilted my head to look at yoongi. "hey hyung?"
"hmm?" he hummed, meeting my eyes.
i chewed my lip, thinking out what i was going to say. "why don't you call them? i'm sure they would love
to hear from you. they probably miss you like crazy." my voice was soft and i reached my hand up to brush a strand of hair away from yoongi's forehead.
yoongi looked conflicted. i tried to put myself in his position to understand what he was dealing with. he'd left home because he was wracked with guilt over the death of his brother, but as far as i knew his parents didn't blame yoongi for the accident. they still didn't know he had anything to do with it. i imagined yoongi felt that he'd disappointed them, or felt like a terrible son for taking away their youngest.
"i know, that you're probably thinking that they don't want to hear from you, or some bullshit about you being a bad son. but i really believe they love you and in fact it probably hurts them more that you're all they have now and you haven't reached out to them in years."
i watched as yoongi took his bottom lip between his teeth, and exhaled deeply. he was quiet for a few minutes before finally opening his mouth.
"you're probably right, jimin-ah. i guess i never considered that it could be hurting them to never talk to me, and always thought it was better if i was on my own. i... i'll call them tonight. after dinner." he looked down at me, a tiny smile on his pink lips.
i smiled brightly and hugged him. "i'm proud. come on, let's make dinner together!"
***
later that night, i tiptoed into yoongi's bedroom, sinking down onto the soft comforter without saying a word. he was sitting against the wall, holding his phone in his hands.
"it's okay hyung. you can do it." i whispered gently, placing my hand over his. yoongi looked up at me, smiling tightly.
slowly he unlocked his phone and opened the call app, scrolling through the contacts until he found the one he was looking for, and after staring at it for a while, clicked it. yoongi put it on speaker, so i could hear.
the call rang for a few moments before it picked up, a shaky breath the first sound we heard. "y-yoongi? baby? is that you?" a woman asked, sounding overwhelmed with emotion.
yoongi cleared his throat. "yes, eomma. it's... it's me. i'm s–"
"oh, my baby! i'm so happy you called! i miss you so much, both of us do. it's not the same without you here. are you well?"
i watched as a small smile appeared on yoongi's lips. "yes, i'm fine eomma. how are you and appa?"
"we're doing alright. it was a bit hard to adjust after you left, but we've gotten along fine," mrs. min said, and yoongi nodded although he knew she couldn't see him.
"i miss you so much eomma. i'm so sorry for leaving."
mrs. min sighed. "yoongi, jagi, it's okay. we understand that you were grieving, and honestly i think leaving was probably the best thing for you."
yoongi was quiet for a moment, and lowered his face so that i couldn't see. but when i saw a drop of water drip onto his phone screen, i realized he was crying. i gently pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back. "it's okay, hyung. it's okay."
"who's there with you?" mrs. min asked suddenly, jolting us out of our embrace.
yoongi wiped his tears, clearing his throat again. "his name is jimin, he's... he's my best friend. we've lived together since i moved here."
"hello, mrs. min." i said politely.
"hello, dear. you've been taking care of my son?"
"since the day we met," i smiled, earning a gentle push from yoongi.
"well, it was really nice to hear from you, sweetheart. i hope you'll call again? you could talk to your father, he's not here right now, he went out with some friends."
"yes, of course eomma. it was nice to talk to you. i love you."
"love you too, yoongi."
