Unknown Memories

Chapter 7

Your eyes finally rested on the face of the seventh member, the one that you could not remember for the life of you was standing and talking. You saw his lips move, but you could not hear anything. Your eyes were wide and he was the only thing you cared to acknowledge in that moment. 

You could not tell if you were relieved or frustrated. The butterflies in your stomach and the rapid pace of your heartbeat were all you needed to determine that this man, Jimin, was definitely the cause of this familiar warmth that you had been trying to figure out this whole time. However, you still could not figure out why. His face, voice and figure were all so familiar, but you could not recall how. It could simply be that you had finally seen the seventh member that you had been forgetting all this time. Besides, you used to be a big fan of this group, so it made the most sense in your mind.

As Jimin's speech came to an end, you realised you had not been paying much attention to the words and brought yourself back into reality. That's when the CEO announced that animators now had a little time to chat with staff and the members of BTS for any other questions. You felt your nerves come back. Both because you did not have anything you particularly wanted to ask, and because you were not sure whether you wanted to confront Jimin so soon. You still had a lot of questions that you needed to ask yourself and think over before you even thought about that.

Before you knew it, the other animators were already standing, preparing to ask their well thought out questions, while you were still in a state of shock from recent events. You soon came to your feet as well. The safest place in your mind at the moment was where the food and drink was. Your logic was that if everyone thought you were busy picking out food and eating then they would not bother you. That was the plan, anyway.

As your eyes scanned over the selection of foods again, you had almost forgotten why you were so worked up before. The smell and taste of mini sausage rolls and tuna sandwiches was oddly soothing to you amongst all the recent chaos.

"Excuse me." a male voice said behind you.

The nerves immediately came back. Your plan had not worked. You would have to face Jimin before you were mentally ready. You had not even had time to prepare or practice what you would say. You swallowed whatever snack was left in your mouth and turned around.

It was not Jimin.

Instead, you saw the figure of another member stood before you. It was Yoongi. You could not tell if you were surprised or not. You nodded politely, not able to think to speak.

"The seven of us have to leave soon," he began, "but I just wanted to greet each animator before we left."

His intentions seemed sincere enough and you thanked him politely.

"If I am to be completely honest, I feel a little overwhelmed with all these great candidates around me." you half joked, trying to make conversation.

"There's no need to feel nervous. We picked out the three animators we liked the most."

You were taken aback. He only said three. Did that really mean that they had made a mistake? Had your theory and insecurities been correct?

"That is not to say that you were not chosen for a reason," he continued, "You were definitely chosen for at least a couple of reasons. All of us very much liked your style of artwork - especially Jimin." his eyes seemed to look you over a little more intensely as he said that, as if he were trying to read your reaction, "Jimin was the one to recommend your artwork at the last minute. If it weren't for him, you would not have gotten the job at all."

You were lost for words. So, Jimin was the one that liked your work. But how? That did not mean that he knew you, did it? 

"Anyway, I wish each one of you luck and look forward to seeing the finished works," before you could even say goodbye he had already turned around to leave, and spoke the last part in a hushed voice so that you could not hear, "and I hope you win, for Jimin's sake."

You saw the back of Yoongi's figure move towards the exit, leaving you in a state of disbelief.

*****

As each member of the small audience stood from their seats, Jimin could feel the nerves come back. This was his chance. He could talk to her. He could find out if she recognised him at all. He could-

"You lot should head back to the practice room," a voice said. It was their manager, "you are mainly here for formalities, but there isn't much reason for you to be here for much longer. Sihyuk and I can wrap things up."

Jimin's heart sank. He really wanted to talk to her, even if it was just to say hello. He needed to hear her voice, he needed to know if he recognised it. And he really needed to figure out if she recognised him. But before he could even argue, he and the others were ushered out of the meeting room. He looked over his shoulder, hoping to catch a glance at Y/N one last time - maybe he could signal to her, just something to get her attention - but she was not at all facing in his direction.

Jimin slung the bag over his shoulder and made his way back down the corridor. The seven of them chattered about their excitement once more and talked about the little reactions that each animator had as they listened to the song. 

"Did you see the one girl with her eyes closed?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah, I'm guessing it was some kind of process for her to envision some ideas without getting distracted, or something - that's my guess, at least." Namjoon answered.

There was a second of silence before Jin joined the conversation, "I don't know about you, but didn't she kinda look like the barista from the other day?"

A look of confusion, recollection, and then realisation came to Jungkook, one after the other, "Yeah, you're right! Either they're related, they're the same person, or its just a huge coincidence." he said, half jokingly, "What to you think, Jimin?"

"Huh?" Jimin had not been paying attention to the conversation; with so much on his mind and all.

"The girl in the meeting room kinda looked like the barista." Jin repeated for him.

Jimin's steps slowed, eventually coming to a stop, and the other's matched his speed. He did not say a word. He only tried to recall what happened at the coffee shop a few days before. His mind was going all over the place. Memories were getting jumbled in his head; he was remembering things that had not happened. Or did they? He was sure that they happened, but also knew that they had not. It was as if memories from another timeline were spilling into his own.

"Jimin?" he finally heard one of his friends say his name, which brought him back to the present. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...It's just-"

"Oh, damnit!" The voice of his older friend, Yoongi, cut off his words. "I left my phone in there. I'll meet you at the practice room." his voice faded towards the end as he sped back towards the meeting room.

Once Yoongi was out of the view of the other members his speed slowed. What the other's did not know was that his phone was still in his bag where he had left it - and he knew that. It was simply a quick and believable excuse for him to head back there. 

Yoongi recognised her. She was the girl at the restaurant a few weeks back. He did not know if Jin and Jungkook's claims were true, but if she was in fact the barista from their story, then that would be three times that Jimin and Y/N had crossed paths. He knew that there was something going on. Ever since that day at the restaurant Jimin has not quite been himself - some days were normal, but others he seemed distant and distracted. Something always seemed to be on his mind at those moments, and he was sure that it was something to do with Y/N.

While the music was playing, Yoongi had seen the way Jimin had been looking at her. He could see the recognition in his eyes, it was very similar to the time back at the restaurant, and he had a feeling that if he had gone to the coffee shop back then he would have also seen it there.

When he re-entered the meeting room, he saw that Y/N was stood by the food table. He sighed in relief. She had not left yet, which meant that this trek was not for nothing. Plus, manager Sejin was distracted by another guest on the other side of the room. 

He quietly made his way over to her. This was his opportunity to get some answers for himself.