Afterglow | K.TH

Healing

JIMIN

"Hyung!"

The café door opens, and I look up in shock to see Jungkook bounce inside with his backpack tight around his shoulders.

I nearly drop the cleaning broom I'm holding.

"Jungkook!" I yelp when he happily starts reading out the menu board. "How are you— it's still two hours until your school ends!"

He smiles brightly at me.

"Early. They let us go early." He says, which makes me instantly reach for my phone. "I knew where you worked, hyung. So I walked here— all by myself!"

He grins. "You're proud of me, right?"

My face turns to ash when I see the notification I'd missed.

"Y-Yes, I'm so proud of you." I murmur, abandoning the broom and hugging him tight. "But something could've happened, Jungkook."

I shudder.

"And your sister would've ripped my head from my shoulders."

"Well, it's okey now." He says with another smile, patting my head carefully. "I got here really safe. I raised my hand whenever I crossed the road."

And my legs almost collapse under me when I realize how bad this could've gone.

He could've been hit by a car.

Could've been lost.

Stupid Jimin.

"Good, Jungkook." I laugh forcefully, my heart still slamming into my chest. "Do you want a smoothie?"

He claps his hands together. "Yes, yes! Can I have mango flavor, please?"

"Of course."

Jungkook watches me with sparkling eyes as I adjust my glasses, and go back behind the counter.

I whip up a quick smoothie, letting him sip on it as I finish closing up the café.

"Do you need help, hyung?"

"It's alright, I'm almost done." I say, ruffling his hair. My voice is still a bit shaken.

He could've been taken advantage of.

"Jungkook." I finally get down in front of him, and he looks at me with childish eyes. His cheeks are puffed with smoothie, corners of his lips slightly stained.

I wipe his mouth with my sleeves.

"Please— don't leave the school without me." I murmur, and his eyes go wide. "Just wait, even if everyone else is leaving."

"Something could've happened."

"B-But I got here just fine, hyung." He whispers, voice starting to waver a bit. "I don't want to wait. I can get here by myself."

I swallow.

"Yes, I know." My tone is softer now, and I pull up a chair next to him. "But I want you to be safe. Always. That's why I'm telling you this, Kook."

I lean my head against his shoulder.

"Because I want nothing bad to ever happen to you while you're under my care, alright?"

He nods, after a long hesitation.

"Okey. B-Because hyung want me to."

I smile gently. Jungkook slowly wraps his pinkie finger around mine when I offer it to him, in a promise.