TIME AFTER TIME ; jjk

5

Chapter 5

𝑃𝐴𝑅𝐾 𝑆𝑂𝑂𝐻𝑌𝑈𝑁

You know that thing when people tell you the same stuff over and over again until you start to believe it... Well, it is kind of true. For a short while. In my case, I believed it for a day then got over it as soon as another dawn broke.

Growing up, I got used to be called conceited just because I was confident, and frankly, I could not see anything wrong with that. What would I even do with insecurity? My parents raised me well, I knew it. There was nothing wrong with me. Of course, I wasn't perfect, but I wasn't someone people thought I was.

Taehyung was just another person who judged me based on a few interactions then concluded he disliked me. Idiot. Did he think I wouldn't be able to handle his insult and I would sulk forever? I could perfectly live with that. I survived many years living with the fact I could not possibly get along with everyone, and they would eventually stab me in the back. Too bad I learned it from my own experience. Fake friends. Fucking envious bunch of people...

I didn't know what just went wrong at that time with Kim Taehyung. I approached him nicely. I asked a few questions which until now I couldn't find rude, too. I was just genuinely curious about Jungkook. That was all. In what way did I come off delusional and self-centered? I might start to think Taehyung was infuriated with me because I chose to hit on his friend instead. Or whatsoever. I really didn't want to create a rift with Taehyung because at some point I used to adore him in med school because he was cute. I didn't adore him that way. Everyone seemed to like him then; he was too friendly.

It was early Tuesday morning when I woke up and prepared myself for my duty. I didn't bring my car with me since Dad was in good mood and he offered to drive me to work. At 4 AM, I started collecting vitals and labs for every patient I had who were also my attending's patients which was why I would get so keen about making the progress notes. I visited each one of them for my ICU rounding with an attending surgeon and two interns.

By the time I craved for something to drink, I was done with my early morning task so I dashed downstairs to pick up takeaway coffees. It had become a ritual to order two. Not that I drank too much caffeine a day. Of course, the other one was for Jungkook. I knew he liked coffee because if he didn't, he would have sent back the morning coffees I kept offering him with the help of the janitor assigned in their department. I never got to hear what he thought about it since we didn't have the chance to see each other around, but I was told he was thankful. Look at the bright side.

However, I also thought he could have texted me... He had my phone number. If he really wanted to thank me, even out of courtesy if not affection, he could have sent a single-word reply. Heck, I'd even take 'thnx'.

I didn't want to be the one to initiate. I mean, I still had a bit of pride intact with me. Would I really want to tell my future children that I texted him first?

Besides, expressing his gratitude for a coffee would make a great conversation starter.

"It started with morning coffees." I could imagine myself saying that when I'd be asked how it all began between us. But no, I was just leading myself on. Do I really need to make myself clear to him? He should have figured it all out by now.

Well, I was tempted to ask Jungkook again for a coffee date, which he completely forgot I guess. The idea must have been discarded into the trash of my hopeless dreams. On the other hand, I planned to throw myself into work in a blatant attempt to remind myself I wasn't here for a guy. A guy that was apparently Jeon Jungkook.

I needed to think that my world doesn't revolve around him.

A guy can wait, the patients can't. Someone as hardworking as Jungkook would be turned off if he knew I was just being pretty all the time. And if ever he was interested in career-driven women, he could consider me.