Epiphany Coffee - YOONKOOK

IX. Falling

Sunday morning.

Jungkook's eyes opened instantly when he heard his alarm. He sat on his bed and stretched. The night had been a bit short. He came back home late the night before. But it was for a different reasons than the days before. Since his exams were almost over, he finally could spend more time with his friends. That was why, after his day at the coffee shop, he agreed to fo to Jin's place, to have dinner. Jimin was invited too. And as Seokjin was living with his best friend Hoseok, the night ended to be a bit more than a simple dinner. It was nothing extravagant. They werent really fond of big parties. To be honest, Jin and Jungkook weren't big fans of partying. Jimin and Hobi were social butterflies. They loved going out on bars, to dance and meet people. Maybe that was one of the reason why they clicked so quickly. Because they were similar. Still, the night before had been really chill. They ate delicious homemade pizzas cooked by Seokjin. They drank few beers. And they caught up about what happened in their lives recently. Kook was so curious to know what was happening in his friends lives. He learned that Hoseok had to take care of two more classes at the dance studio. It had been a lot of work, but he enjoyed it. It also meant he was making more money, which was always nice. Jimin was getting more and more stressed by his dance classes at university. As his graduation was coming, exams and auditions started to get harder. He was rehearsing and practicing really hard. There would be the university ballet soon. He wanted to be part of it. Actually, he had been part of it since his first year in college. But this year, he wanted to have one of the main role. Which meant that he needed to work even more on his dancing skills. And he still didn't know what he would do after graduation. He could try to enter a dance company, or work as a dance teacher lie Hoseok. As he didnt know he had to always show the best of himself to his teachers and instructors. Jungkook saw Hobi and Jimin talking a lot the night before. They had similar lives. They were both dancers. They were guided by their passion for dance. Hoseok was the one who could understand Jimin's struggles the best. Kook liked that they could both rely on each other. He didn't miss the fact that Hoseok was always smiling softly while looking at Jimin. And  the pink haired man's eyes were shining while he was talking with Hobi. They liked each other. Jungkook could see that. He couldn't wait to see where that would take them.

Seokjin spent a long time in the kitchen to prepare the pizzas. At first, Kook wanted to stay with him. But his cousin insisted for him to go relax in the living room. Jungkook didn't fight the older's order. He knew Jin only wanted him to rest after his long week. Still, when Jimin and Hoseok started to talk about Hobi's next dance competition, Jungkook decided to go find his cousin in the kitchen. The older was cutting vegetables and he smiled when he saw him. Kook started to help him, and they both chatted nicely. It had been a while. Of course, they were texting almost every day, they called each other at least once a week and they were meeting at the Epiphany Coffee every week ends. They were close and they were often spending time together. Still, Jungkook missed his cousin. He missed the warm feeling of comfort and protection he always got when he was near Seokjin. He had been so busy the last three weeks. He was exhausted. But now, next to the older, cooking pizzas with him, he felt safe. Anything could happen to him, he didn't care. Right now, he was stronger. Because he knew Jin would always protect him from the harsh world. Seokjin was his only real family.

He had friends. He loved Jimin and Hoseok. Hobi had been one of his oldest friend. But he was Jin's best friend first. He also loved and enjoyed all the hours he spent with Mingyu and Yugyeom. He was glad he found them. He would have felt so lonely and lost at uni without them. He had his parents too. Even though they were always far from him and too busy to be physically here for him. They loved him. Kook knew that. They always provided him what he wanted and what he needed. However, they didn't come to Seoul for ten months now. They had another house in the US. That was where they spent all of their time, where it was easier for them to work. They were on the other side of the world. When he was still a kid, they would try to come see him every three months. They would call his every week. He had nurses to take care of him and he spent many days at Jin's parents house. They were his family too. But all these people were only substitute of a family, of parents. His parents slowly ceased to come see him. They called less and less every year. They even forgot some of his birthdays. They were far from him. Far from the eyes, far from the heart. They let Jungkook behind them. Jungkook suffered from this when he was younger. He never understood why other kid's parents always came to every end of the year show or make cookies for the cake sales. He wanted to have this too. His nannies were all nice. They took good care. Still, it wasnt always enough to be his family. When he was a teen, Jungkook was still hurt. And angry. His parents left him. They didn't propose him to come with them. They just left him with his demons and insecurities. He had been alone for years, in a huge and empty house. He resented them for a long time.