Narrator's POV

Popping a lollipop into his mouth, he hummed his way to the bulletin board with his hands in the pocket of his shorts. After getting fired yesterday, he knew he needed a new job to make money. He sighed, sadness filled him up entirely when he knew he won’t be able to see his crush at the library anymore.

Jimin entered the mall, the wonderful cold breeze from the air-conditioning hit him right on the face. It was a really hot day, he needed it. Turning right, he noticed a girl standing in front of the bulletin board, biting her pink lips as she seemed to be deep in thought. He knew her, he couldn’t help but smile.

He stood behind her, enjoying the fact that she was a head shorter than him, he loved the feeling of being the tall one for once since most – all – of his friends are taller than him and they a lot for that. Jimin pulled his right hand out of his pocket and placed it on his friend’s shoulder, she flinched and her reaction startled Jimin and made him worry.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there,” he smiled apologetically at her as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Shin Young let out a relieved sigh when she came face to face with Jimin, seeing him made all her worries somehow fade away. “What are you doing here?” she asked with a smile, trying her best to conceal all of the sadness inside of her.

Jimin took the lollipop out of his mouth, “I’m looking for a new job after I got fired yesterday at the library,” he said nonchalantly as if he could care less about losing his job.

The girl felt a shot of guilt hit her. It was her fault that Jimin got fired yesterday. She stared down to her feet, not able to look Jimin, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t apologize, I didn’t like the job anyways and you are the only one who happens to know why I even took that job in the first place,” he winked at her then turned his head to look at the bulletin board in front of him. “So, what are you doing here?”

She stared at the bulletin board again and let out a hopeless sigh, “I’m looking for a job too.”

He nodded his head, understanding the situation. “Find anything yet?”

She shook her head, “Nope.”

“What about this one?” he pointed to one of the flyers, “Bust girl or boy wanted at the Golden Dragon restaurant.”

Without giving it much thought, Jimin took out his phone and saved the number that was on the flyer. He didn’t care that much of what type of job he got, he just needed one to support himself along with his family.

Shin Young looked at him with a somewhat confused expression on his face, “You’re going to take that job?”

Jimin nodded as he shoved his phone back into the pocket of his shorts. “Yup. Why? Did you want that job?”

She looked puzzled. It was the only job she wanted to do since it didn’t involve that much communication with other people. Shin Young slowly nodded her head.

“Maybe they’ll take two people,” he turned to look at her, “Unless they won’t or you don’t want to work with me, I’ll happily back down and find another job.”

“N-no!” she stuttered. “If they only want one, it should be you.”

“It’s okay,” he smiled at her.

“Really?”

He answered with a nod.

Shin Young couldn’t help but smile. Jimin was her first friend in almost years and she gets to work with him at her first job – if she even gets it. It’ll be fun, working together and all that, at least that what she hopes. It was better for her to work with someone she knows instead of strangers.

At The Golden Dragon

She stood there nervously, wanting the job so bad to make money, wanting to be able to work with her new friend Jimin. Practically staring at the woman in front of her, she hoped that they’ll both get the job.

“Sure, we’ll take the two of you,” the tall woman said with a straight face. “Both of you can start at 9:30 tomorrow morning, make sure to not be late. Got it?”

The two teenagers nodded their heads and the woman behind the large, very expensive looking counter, gave them a smile as she left to tend one of the customer’s needs.

“Nice, we both got the job,” Jimin grinned widely, putting his up for a high five.

With a smile on her face, Shin Young high-fived Jimin, “I didn’t think I’d get hired since I’m not very experienced.”

Jimin let out a little laugh, “Well, this is your first job after all.”

“Oh… yeah…”

Smiling, Jimin placed an arm around Shin Young’s shoulder. The moment Jimin’s arm made contact with her, she flinched. This was the second time Jimin did it but it wasn’t on purpose. She always had the same reaction that made Jimin worry about her.

Shin Young wasn’t used to making physical contact with people, usually, when that happens, it’s always her father trying to hurt her. She got used to it.

“Wanna go get something to eat, it’s on me,” the boy smiled at her, hoping that she’ll accept but not showing an ounce of it. He wanted to be close with her, she wasn’t like any girl that Jimin knew in all of his living life.

Shin Young smiled back, the offer was too good and she was just too hungry. “I’d love to.”

As they walked, Jimin continuously fanned himself with his hand from the heat. He turned his head to see Shin Young, he noticed what she was wearing and thought that she must have been crazy or something. “Hey, aren’t you burning up in there? I mean, I can barely even keep my shirt on right now.”

She shook her head. She lied. Shin Young felt like she was in a sauna, she was sweating so much but she couldn’t say anything. It’s not like she could take her sweater off, she had too many scars to hide.

Jimin’s bright smile faltered into a frown. “Is it because of what I saw yesterday?”

It was like he read her mind, how do people do that? There was no point in lying anymore. “I don’t want people to see it…” she gulped, “they’ll… judge me…”

Jimin suddenly halted and opened a door to a barbeque house, one of the popular ones in Seoul. Taking a table, Shin Young suddenly felt nervous.

“You know, people wouldn’t have to see it if you haven’t done it,” Jimin countered, taking you back to your past conversation.

He was right, she couldn’t deny that. She just felt so much pain that day that she had to do it. She promised herself she wouldn’t but… it just happened. “I’m sorry…” she apologized out of habit.

He gave her a kind smile, “Don’t be, it’s not like I’m mad at you or something, it was more of a suggestion for the future.”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him, it was almost contagious. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“No way, Kim Shin Young?” a voice said from the opposite side of their table.

The girl froze, she couldn’t believe her ears. That voice, she hasn’t heard it in a very long time but it would still linger in her thoughts. She turned her head to the right only to see her old friend, “J-Jae In…” she stuttered.

Feeling high and mighty, Jae In stood beside Shin Young with a wide grin on her face. “Is that how you greet me? Your own master?”

Jimin was at a complete loss in the situation. “Master? Shin Young, what is she talking about?”

Gracefully, she averted her eyes from Shin Young and looked at Jimin. It only took her a few seconds to make a move and sit beside him. “Shin Young, who’s your hot friend here?”

“Park Jimin and you are-”

“Lee Jae In, an old friend,” she smiled at him.

The older boy couldn’t help but realize how silent Shin Young became the moment Jae In came in the picture. He knew something was wrong. Without being rude, Jimin scooted to the right, when he realized that she was getting too close.

“Shin Young, what brings you to one of the most popular barbeque houses in Seoul? I’m sure you couldn’t even afford to even get a single side dish from here,” she said in a joking manner.

That moment Jimin knew that Jae In was not just a friend. Hearing her offensive words towards Shin Young, he started being cold to her. “Actually, I was the one who invited her here.”

“A hunk like you?” she scoffed. “Please, you can do better than her,” she said as she moved closer to Jimin, “like me.”

All the past memories of Jae In’s bullying suddenly clouded in Shin Young’s thoughts. She was like a slave to her and she couldn’t do a single thing about it because she was afraid of getting hurt. Shin Young was so happy when Jae In moved to a different country but now that she’s back, she didn’t know what to do anymore.

“I-I have to go,” Shin Young scattered out the door of the restaurant, leaving Jimin behind with the thirsty Jae In.

The girl pouted as she watched Shi Young run out, she couldn’t help but let out a little laugh when she did. “Finally, she’s gone,” she said then turned her head towards Jimin. “I can’t believe she has the courage to even walk around the streets of Seoul looking like a beggar. She hasn’t changed a single bit-”

She cut herself off from finishing her whole sentence. Jae In was drenched in water and was stunned.

Her makeup was smearing all over her face and it did not look good at all. “My face! It took me hours to get my makeup right this morning and you ruined it!” she screamed. “Ugh! My eyes are burning!”

Jimin hopped off out of the table and gave her a small smile white scratching the back of his head, “Whoops, I meant to use water but you seemed to have deserved something that would sting you just like how you stung Shin Young with your words.”

“How dare you!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you decided to mess with her.”

Author's Note 

Sorry for the long wait but hey, I finally updated right? xD