The next morning Yoongi woke up before Jimin, which he’d expected because he hadn’t taken his sleeping pills. A quick glance around the room told him it was early in the morning. The sunrise came in softly through the window, casting a gray light in the room and small shadows on Jimin’s face. Yoongi gently cupped Jimin’s face and rubbed his thumb along his cheekbone in a comforting way. He laid there, taking in Jimin’s beauty. Everything from the way his hair stuck up in different directions to the way his eyes fluttered every so often in his sleep. The sleepy pout on his lips made Yoongi smile to himself because he could imagine all the times he’d seen Jimin smile and laugh. 

When Jimin’s alarm for work went off, he groggily reached behind him to turn it off before snuggling closer into Yoongi. He was half asleep still, but conscious enough to realize that they were both . He turned over to attempt to get some space between them, but Yoongi pulled him into his chest and nuzzled his face into Jimin’s neck.

“Don’t be shy now,” he teased with a soft kiss to his skin.

“I can’t help it,” Jimin said back, his voice raspy with sleep. “I should probably get ready for work anyway.” He tried to wriggle out of Yoongi’s grasp, but Yoongi only held on tighter.

“Please, just stay for a few more minutes.” Usually, Jimin would have brushed off Yoongi’s affection for being playful, but something about his voice was vulnerable and Jimin took it to heart. So he stayed there, hyper-aware of Yoongi’s warm, bare skin against his own. 

“Are you sore?” Yoongi asked.

“Sore…?” Jimin thought for a moment before realizing what Yoongi was referring to. “Oh, um, a little, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m glad.” 

Jimin’s initial shyness was replaced by comfort in feeling Yoongi next to him until the other pulled away with a sigh.

“You should start getting ready, I don’t wanna make you late,” Yoongi said in a disappointed tone. Jimin sat up and looked at Yoongi with a teasing smile.

“Sounds like you don’t want me to go,” he said, poking Yoongi’s nose. He scrunched his face up in response but smiled. “I don’t, but you shouldn’t miss work cause of me. I’ll be fine. Go before I change my mind.”

“If you say so.” Jimin got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. The first thing he noticed was the reddish-purple marks scattered along the skin by his collarbones and upper chest. He mentally scolded Yoongi for having an affinity for making them but didn’t think they were a big deal because he’d be able to hide them. 

He moved on to brush his teeth and then took a shower. Afterward, he came out with a towel around his waist and began rummaging through his closet and dresser for clothes to dress himself in. He could feel Yoongi watching him with interest and did his best not to feel embarrassed by his gaze.

While he stood in the mirror adjusting his tie, Yoongi came up behind him and put his arms around Jimin’s waist.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he murmured into Jimin’s neck as he placed a few kisses there.

“Will you be here when I get back?”

“If you want me to be here.”

“I do.”

“Then I will.”

“I’ll bring us something to eat when I get off from work.”

“Sounds good.” When Yoongi turned around to go to the bathroom, Jimin gasped at the red scratches on his back. “What is it?”

“Your back...I scratched you, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, I’m sure I left something on you too,” Yoongi winked. “We’re even.”

---

After clocking in and settling down in his office, the first thing Jimin noticed was a voicemail on his desk phone. He clicked the play button on the machine and listened to the message. 

“Jimin, I need you to meet with me in my office as soon as you can. It’s very important and time-sensitive,” Kisoo’s voice rang through the speaker and made Jimin’s heart jump in his chest. He was rarely ever called into his office and usually, it was because there was an issue that he needed Jimin to take care of. His tone didn’t sound angry, but Jimin couldn’t help but jump to the worst conclusions. Surely he wouldn’t be getting fired, he was one of the best workers under Kisoo, but then why did Jimin feel so nervous.

He made an attempt to calm himself down before he made his way to Kisoo’s office. It was slightly bigger than Jimin’s but looked nearly identical to his own. The personal touch was the coffee machine in the corner that Kisoo had on from the time he arrived to work until he left. It was his one vice in life, something that Jimin quickly learned to be vital for Kisoo when they went on a work trip together and he hadn’t had his morning coffee. 

Jimin knocked lightly on his door and waited to hear Kisoo tell him to enter. He did, and Kisoo gestured to one of the chairs in front of him. He could see the worry on Jimin’s face.

“There’s no reason to be nervous Jimin, I’m sorry if I made it sound that way on the phone. This is actually quite good news.”

“I-is it?”

“Yes, especially for someone at your age and your level.” Kisoo stood up from his desk and walked over to the coffee machine to refill his cup. “Would you like one?”

“Ah, no thank you.” Jimin waited until Kisoo returned to his seat and thoughtfully took a sip. “Sir, not to sound disrespectful, but what did you call me here for if not to deliver bad news?”

“Well, something’s come up with the sister company in Seoul,” Kisoo began as he opened the top side drawer of his desk. He quickly through the files until he pulled out the one he was looking for. He set it in front of Jimin. “They need recruitments. Some kind of fresh start they want to do with the company because their productivity levels aren’t up to par.”

“And...what does that have to do with me? Am I supposed to go up there and do a presentation or something?” 

“No. I’m offering you a job, Jimin.”

“What?” He was even more confused now. “W-why would you offer me a job there, I don’t understand.”

“Jimin, you’re the best guy under me right now. You produce the best results and produce them more consistently than anybody else I manage. You’re young still, but you have the potential to do this job.” Kisoo pushed the folder to Jimin, who took it and opened it up. “You’d get a salary increase as well. Even though this company has a solid footing, the one in Seoul has a much bigger opportunity for growth seeing as how the city is expanding and developing as we speak. It’s a really good opportunity Jimin, one I think you should go for,” he explained as Jimin scanned over the papers explaining everything.

“But this...I’d have to move to Seoul if I took this job, wouldn’t I?”

“Ah, c’mon Jimin, don’t tell me you’re afraid of the city.”

“It’s not that...I just...I have a life here. I don’t know if I can pack up everything and just leave.” Jimin looked up at Kisoo with almost a pleading expression from being overwhelmed with the sudden offer.

“I understand how you feel, but this is the best decision for you for your career. I’ve mentored you for the past two years and can see your potential and how you’ve developed. You’ve gotten to this skill level by your own hard work and dedication, you have what it takes.” He leaned his elbows on the desk and leaned forward to Jimin, softening his voice and expression. “I’m telling you as your friend, not your boss, to take this offer. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.” 

Kisoo didn’t understand though, there was so much to lose. Jimin had established a comfortable life here for himself and was still close to his parents. Hoseok and Taehyung were here, his friends that felt like brothers. Things with Yoongi were just starting to work out, and in the process, he was dealing with his trauma from Jungkook. He couldn’t just uproot himself from all of that and move a four-hour drive away...could he? Kisoo could sense this hesitation and leaned back in his chair to give Jimin space. “You have two weeks to let me know what your decision is. If you chose the position, you’ll finish the quarter out here and start the next in Seoul.”

“Okay...thank you for considering me for the position in the first place. I appreciate that you think so highly of me.”

“Of course.” And with that, Jimin took the folder with him back to his office. He did his best to turn his attention away from it, but its contents tempted his mind to wander and think about a new life.

---

The drive home for Jimin was just as quiet and mentally taxing as his workday. Most of his brainpower was spent on staying focused on his work and not reaching for the folder to look through it. The deal was too good to pass up, even for a veteran worker. Who could pass up a pay raise to do the same thing, just in a different city? He really had nothing to lose, he could maintain his friendships and what he had with Yoongi long distance. His parents would understand as well. If he was being honest, it was fear that really paralyzed him and prevented him from saying ‘yes’ wholeheartedly.

As he got closer to his home, he realized that in his hesitancy about the position, he hadn’t picked up dinner yet. Luckily, there was a good spicy noodle place nearby, so he was able to take a small detour to pick up takeout for himself and Yoongi. Once he got the food, he turned the radio on high to distract his mind from wandering again until he got home and parked.

He reached for his briefcase first and couldn’t avoid the thought of that folder. Then he grabbed the food made his way up the stairs to his place. He fumbled with his keys to unlock the door and nearly tripped through the doorway because of the dim lighting. Maybe Yoongi was in the bedroom and that’s why it was so dark.

“Yoongi?” he called out in a flustered tone as he set everything down in the kitchen. “I got us dinner,” he finally looked up and he swore his heart skipped a beat at the scene in front of him. Yoongi had set up Jimin’s glass coffee table as a makeshift dining table. There was a lit candle in the center and on either side of it were a plate and a glass of champagne. Yoongi was sitting at one end of the table with a smile.

“I would have cooked, but you said you’d get something and I’m also a bad cook,” he laughed shyly as he explained, reaching to rub the back of his neck in a nervous way. “I wanted to do something special though, I don’t know, maybe it’s not enough-”

“Yoongi, I love it,” Jimin cut off Yoongi’s rambling and brought the food to the table.

“Ah, really?”

“Yeah, no one’s ever done anything like this for me.”

“It’s not much, it’d be way cooler if I could cook or if I could afford to take you out somewhere really expensive ya know, but I-”

Jimin reached out and gently held Yoongi’s cheek. “It doesn’t matter if it’s here or at a five-star restaurant, it’s the thought that counts and I love it, okay?”

“O-okay.” Yoongi’s shyness increased and he turned away from Jimin to his plate. “Let me help you,” he offered, reaching for the takeout boxes. They quietly distributed the food until their plates were full. Jimin reached for his champagne and took a sip before he ate, closing his eyes while he reveled in the taste.

“This is really good Yoongi, where’d you get it?”

“I just picked the most expensive one off the shelf, I figured it had to be good, right?”

Jimin laughed, “I guess that’s true, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to. It was worth it seeing your face.”

“Thank you for this.” Jimin gestured to the room around him, “it means a lot to me.”

“I’m glad you like it.” With that, they began to eat in silence at first and then slowly bringing up things to talk about. They mostly involved how Yoongi planned the dinner which involved a trip to the store, but it was fairly straightforward. His motive? Just a gut feeling to show Jimin he cherished him and wanted to spend alone time with him.

Everything was going great until Yoongi brought up how work went. Jimin visibly froze for a few moments, but luckily Yoongi was looking at his plate to eat another mouthful of food.

“It was good.” A short, curt answer that Yoongi wasn’t used to.

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Hey Jimin?”

“Yes?”

“You’re a liar,” Yoongi replied matter-of-factly as he drank from his glass. He set it down and looked up at Jimin expectantly. “What happened?”

Jimin stood up and walked to the kitchen island where he’d discarded his briefcase on the floor. He opened it, pulled the file out, and carried it with him back to the living room. Then, he handed it to Yoongi who was confused.

“Open it,” Jimin said quietly. He waited for Yoongi to begin reading through the papers to gauge his reaction.

“You got offered a position in Seoul?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s the criteria?”

“I’d be doing the same thing as I am here.” Yoongi kept reading and then flipped a piece of paper around to show Jimin. “Yeah, but with a great pay raise!” he said incredulously.

“I don’t care about the money,” Jimin mumbled, pushing his food around on his plate. Suddenly, he’d lost his appetite.

“Yeah, but this would look great on your portfolio too. I see only positives in this deal, what’s the catch?”

“I’d have to move to Seoul…” Yoongi looked at him with a blank expression as if he was waiting for Jimin to say more. “That’s it, that’s the catch. I’d have to move.”

“Why’s that a bad thing?”

“Because everything I know is here, I can’t imagine leaving it. My family, Hoseok and Taehyung, you, I just...I can’t let all of this go.”

“Jimin, it’s not a far drive and an even shorter plane ride. You could always come to visit on the weekends, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“I don’t know…” Jimin looked down at his lap and began twiddling his thumbs while he thought. 

“You’d be an idiot not to take this offer. If long-distance is your concern, there’s plenty of ways you can keep in touch with everyone. You should take it.” Yoongi continued scanning over the files to get an idea of what Jimin was being offered and what he’d be doing and finally put all the papers back and returned to his food. “Take the offer, Jiminie,” he encouraged. “At least think about it.”

“I can’t not think about it,” Jimin sighed and also began eating again.

“I’ll support you with whatever you decide, okay?” Jimin nodded with a small smile, feeling comforted by Yoongi’s support. The conversation continued smoothly until they finished dinner. Yoongi offered to clean up while Jimin got settled on the couch, tired from the emotional strain of today’s events. Just as Yoongi sat down next to him, his phone dinged from his back pocket. He quickly checked the notification and was going to pocket the phone again until he read the sender. 

“Is everything okay?” Jimin asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

“I just got an email...from Starstruck…”

“That’s the company you applied for, right?”

“Yeah…” Yoongi froze with his phone in his hand, afraid to know whether or not he’d made it to auditions. 

“Are you gonna look at it?”

“I don’t know if I can right now...I feel like I’m gonna throw up, you open it.” Yoongi handed his phone to Jimin and put his head in his hands to try and calm himself down. Jimin did as Yoongi asked and opened up the email. His eyes quickly scanned over the first few lines in the letter and stayed silent in shock. 

“You’re killing me Jimin, is it bad?” Yoongi said, his voice muffled in his palms. 

“No, it’s...it’s great Yoongi, you made it to auditions!”

“I what?”

“Yeah, you made it, look!” Jimin was beaming like a child with a lollipop as he handed Yoongi’s phone back to him. Yoongi quickly read over the letter. The longer he stared at it, the more he began to match Jimin’s smile until his eyes began to burn with tears.

“I can’t believe it.” He wiped at his eyes to try and stop himself from crying, but all it did was make him cry harder.

“I’m so proud of you Yoongi,” Jimin congratulated him in a hug and held him while Yoongi regained his composure. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Jimin,” Yoongi said into his shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“Meeting you gave me the courage to be vulnerable and brave enough to just say ‘ it’ and go after what I wanted. Out of all the things I ever wanted,” Yoongi pulled back so he could look Jimin in his eyes when he said the rest, “you were the first thing I actually went for. And it’s made me happier than I thought I could be with everything that I’ve got going on with me.” He held Jimin’s face and smiled thoughtfully.

“It might be too early to say that I love you...but I know that if you were out of my life I’d feel like something was missing. As cliché as it sounds, you make me want to be a better person, the kind that isn’t held back by their fears. I don’t know if I’m making sense-”

Jimin put his finger against Yoongi’s lips to make him stop his nervous rambling with a light laugh, “You’re making perfect sense, I know exactly what you mean. You’ve become that kind of person for me as well, you’ve helped me a lot especially with everything about Jungkook.” Jimin stood up and held out his hand to Yoongi, saying, “Now, come with me so we can celebrate.”

“What are we doing?” He asked when he took Jimin’s hand. Jimin led them to his bedroom and gently sat Yoongi down on the bed. 

“Something that’s fun for both of us.”