jimin was on the path to being a doctor. he was in his second year of university, taking all courses required for his pre-med track. 

because of his rigorous program, he forfeited a lot of aspects of a social life. he never had a relationship, did not have many friends, and partying was unheard of in his world. he had a few friends who he kept close and he felt like that was all he really needed. he did not need a significant other, a huge circle of friends, or even felt the need to party. he had a goal, and he intended on reaching that goal. no matter how lonely he felt some days, or the envy he felt when he saw happy couples spend time together in public. he's goal-oriented and had no time for distractions, or well that was his excuse.

"look, this place is so cool! it's chill, plays soft music, and the drinks are affordable. just go, you'll like it a lot."
"taehyung. i told you already. me and the public when i study don't mix."
"just try it out. i swear it's like that place forces you to study. that's how great it is for you. and it's open a lot longer than the damn library."
"i..guess i'll take a look."

following his best friend's advice, jimin decided to drive to the café at 8 in the morning on a sunny saturday, the usual time he started studying. as he drove through the almost bare streets, he kept his eyes open for the name that taehyung had burned into his memory: clair de lune.

finally spotting the café, he luckily scored a spot right in front of the business, parking two empty spaces away from a clean, white car. he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat as he stepped out of his (very functional and glorious) 2014 light blue prius. he locked his doors with a click of the button before walking into the establishment, the smell of coffee beans roasting already enticing him. he places his backpack on a table close to an outlet. he was already planning out and calculating in his head what he needed to achieve for the day. he kept his eyes on the menu as he walked up to the counter, glancing over which drink he would choose. as soon as he heard a greeting, his eyes left the menu to land on the eyes of a rather attractive young male wearing a light beige apron with a nametag that had "jungkook" on it and a long-sleeved button-up looking snug around his rather athletic physique.  

instantly, his eyes diverted down to the surface of the counter. he felt his cheeks turn a soft pink, almost forgetting what he chose to order in his mind.

through his best friend taehyung's recommendation, jimin decided to visit this café he's never heard of in the more quiet part of their huge city that he constantly raved about, not expecting much to come out of the visit. 
he didn't, however, think he would find the barista so attractive that he couldn't find the words to order his favorite tea. 

"hey, what can i get for you today?"
"..." jimin shyly pointed at the glass jar that was labeled 'genmaicha'.
"genmaicha. iced?"

he nodded slowly, not daring to make eyecontact with the barista. 

"that'll be 2 dollars and 74 cents, please."

he handed the barista three dollars before mumbling, "keep the change." he drops a single dollar bill in the tip jar and quickly scurried off to find a table as far away from the counter as possible. 

way to look like a scared hamster, park jimin.

jimin decided it would be best to just relax and act like he didn't just made a fool of himself. it was best if he forgot the whole encounter and just stayed focused. 

but he couldn't. he couldn't get the taller male's image out of his head. his kind smile, his almost perfectly shaped almond eyes, his lightly tanned skin, the way his hair was parted with a majority going to the left, his silver earrings. it all infiltrated jimin's mind as he set up his laptop, notebook, and colored pens. gulping slowly and quickly snapping out of his daze, he puts his backpack at the seat next to him and turned to the side to bend over in order to plug in his laptop and phone chargers. "jungkook is a really nice name...i wonder where he goes to school. i don't think i've ever seen him at seoul national university...i would have noticed. he looks really good in a button-up. wait did i just think that?" his thoughts were racing through his mind as he opened up his laptop and pulled his airpods case out of his pocket. just before he placed the wireless buds into his ears, he hears footsteps leading towards him. he quickly places them down onto his keyboard, but his eyes stayed glued to his screen until a tall glass of iced genmaicha tea was placed at his table beside his laptop. 

"hey, here's your order. accidentally made it a large, so you got a free upgrade."
"..." jimin nodded his head timidly, wanting to thank him for bringing his drink to his table but was unable to find his voice. 

"enjoy." jungkook grinned, before walking back to reclaim his spot behind the counter. 

jimin was smacking himself on the inside. how could he have been so impolite? not even thanking the barista for bringing his drink. he wanted to pack his things all up and run for the hills. but he was a rather broke college student who just got a bigger size without having to pay for it. finally, getting out of his head, he took in a deep breath and let out a determined sigh.

"focus."

for half an hour, jimin dived into his cell physiology textbook on his laptop. he virtually flipped through pages while taking down some notes into his notebook. for that half an hour, it felt as though he had completely forgotten the attractive barista. he took a quick glance at the corner of his laptop, the time reading only 8:38 AM. he slumped down in his seat, resting his forehead on his laptop after closing it. with a few moments, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. he immediately shot up, glancing around before catching a familiar set of eyes. 

"tae? what are you doing here?" 
"am i not allowed to visit my best friend while he studies? i came by to just drop off some breakfast and to say hi, pretty boy."
"it's not that you aren't allowed to visit me. it's just...you...out of bed...before 12 pm...on a saturday?" 

taehyung shyly rubbed at his nape, placing a paper bag on jimin's fully covered table. "well, i just met up with a sunbae from my major for an early morning run and look what i scored." he proudly waved a notebook that had been labeled 'graphic design 110'. it had looked a bit worn out, and was definitely overly filled with folded assignment sheets. taehyung was a graphic design major with a business minor who chased after owning his own graphic design company. "i tell him everyday to quit charming people out of their notes..." jimin grumbled in his own head, sighing as he let it shake in disapproval. the male's best friend quickly grabbed his small hand in his own larger pair, his sparkling eyes forming into big round globes as he pouted. "jimin, look, don't be disappointed. i'm doing this for our future, baby. how are we gonna raise our kids while you're in medical school for ten years and i'm jobless?" jimin instantly shoved the other away. taehyung and jimin harbored zero romantic feelings for each other, but taehyung was the type to be touchy with just about anyone and he loved to tease the smaller jimin any chance he got. "look tae. i always tell you that you need to learn on your own. you can't get through university flirting with older students to get their notes." jimin rubbed at his own temples, trying to calm himself down. taehyung was not a bad student; in reality, he was actually pretty smart. he had got into SNU without barely studying for his exams, maintaining a high GPA since the first day of freshman year. he did not need other people's notes, he just gave the excuse of "why should i take my own when i can get them from someone else and just pass by reading them?" it made jimin scowl a bit, wishing he did not have to throw himself so hard into his studies just to maintain his perfect grades. but, nonetheless, he was happy that taehyung was attending the same school as him. what would he do without his best friend he's known since diapers?

"hey, i don't flirt with them. i just smile, make them laugh a little, and somehow i walk off with their notes and past assignments." the older by a few months sighed once more before taehyung gently pet his hair, his boxy grin already covering half of his face. "well, anyways, my mom made kimbap rolls for you for breakfast since i said you'd be here studying for your midterm. i have to run, got a hot date with my bed and netflix. i heard that the show about the murderer-stalker guy is so good." the younger yawned, leaning in to wrap his arms around the other's head. "be good, baby. don't give my friend jungkook over there a hard time." he whispered softly, before pulling away. "i-i..won't. promise." jimin whispered back before opening back up his laptop. taehyung walked off to the counter, both hands resting on them as he peered at the menu. "jeon jungkook, i'm ready for my usual."

jungkook had watched the whole exchange. "so they're dating? taehyung always talked about this guy he hung out with all the time, but never called him his boyriend...never knew it would be someone so cute. what am i thinking? that's your favorite customer's boyfriend. it was just an observation, a pure and careful obs-" jungkook's train of thoughts came to an immediate halt as soon as he heard taehyung's cheerful voice speak the words: "jeon jungkook, i'm ready for my usual."

"your usual, right away. it'll be $3.17." he said, a grin on his lips as he turned to whip up a iced white mocha with extra whip cream and whip cream on the side in a separate cup, a few sprinkles of chocolate powder added for what taehyung always said, "complexity." 

"when oh when will you give me a discount? have my charms not attacked you yet? what have we become? two strangers in a big city?" taehyung sighed dramatically, his hand over his forehead as he leaned over the counter, his card slipped between his fingers as he looked at the barista upside down. "hey, i always give you free refills and a ton of whip cream. and quit it, taehyung. your boyfriend probably isn't too fond of you sprawled over this counter like a clingy girlfriend." jungkook laughed, taking the card from him and swiping it on his register. taehyung quickly shot up straight, facing him with a brow raised. "how did you meet my boyfriend before i even did? cause i swear i haven't seen him yet and i'm not getting consistent kisses from no damn mouth." jungkook looked at him, brows furrowed in confusion. he watched as taehyung signed the receipt and took his two cups before jungkook nodded his head over at jimin who was engrossed in his studying once again, happily munching on the homemade kimbap that he neatly placed onto the lid of the food container in a line. "is that not him? i heard you call him 'baby'...and your future? kids?" suddenly taehyung put down the cups, bursting out in laughter to the point where he was folded in half, holding his stomach in one hand and wiping his teary eyes with the other. "jimin? park jimin? my boyfriend? i've seen that kid his pants. literally. when we were five though, don't get it twisted. sometimes you hold it in and then you kinda forget and then you're bending down to see something and boom it comes rushing out back , literally. you know how it is." he blabbed on, a few chuckles leaving his lips as he picked up his cups once again, noticing the slight grin shadowing over jungkook's lips. "hey, but if you're interested, i could try setting you up. don't expect much out of that though. park jimin is infamous for only caring about school and not much else. don't get hurt if he doesn't give you the time of day. i've known him since i was born and i barely see him." taehyung's voice had become cautious, more serious. almost as if he was giving jungkook a fair warning. "oh no, i'm not interested. i just assumed from what i overheard, don't get the wrong idea." jungkook had laughed softly, a half truth leaving his lips with the words and his laughter. he didn't know the guy, he was attractive and all, but there was no bounds to show interest. "well, if you ever change your mind, let me know." taehyung walked off, whistling to the beat of i.u's bbi bbi. jungkook leaned on the counter, his eyes latching onto jimin out of all the millions of things around the cafe, interested in his pure focus on his work. wait, did he just bite his tongue?

jimin watched the two interact from his peripheral view. he felt his heart pang a bit in envy, seeing as how taehyung effortlessly chatted with the barista he couldn't spit a few words out to. taehyung had been coming for a long time, of course he had developed a friendship with the barista. there was no way that little happy virus couldn't make friends with him. but the way they talked and laughed, jimin could help but feel a tinge of jealousy in his heart. if only he was that extroverted.

"why do i even care? i don't even know him. it's none of my business...he's just...really cute." he thought to himself, his shoulders shrugging. as soon as taehyung had walked out, he went back to eating. his happy eating facade fading into his frustrated eating as his mind raced more and more with thoughts, chomping aggressively as he wrote down his notes. suddenly, pain shocked his entire mouth, biting the tip of his tongue through his aggressive chewing in a mindless manner. he whimpered softly, tears immediately welling in his eyes before he let out a few breaths to soothe his tongue. he gulped down a few sips of his iced tea, wiping at his eyes with his sleeves and trying to ignore the irony taste of the drawn blood. "i hope he didn't see that...how lame would i look if he did.." he took a few moments to pack the leftovers of his kimbap into the glass container, placing it into the bag and at his side on the floor. he raced a hand through his own hair to soothe his thoughts, returning to his notebook as he quickly jotted down notes. he was immersed in his studies once again, thanking whatever was out there for the ability to refocus. he sipped on his tea as he read over the pages on his laptop, until he hears shoes tap towards him, assuming it had just been another customer going to capture the table beside him.

"hey, i saw you kinda pause while eating. cold water should help flush out the blood taste and clean up the cut." 

jimin could literally feel his transformation into a tomato. an evolution of some sort. something like sailor moon's transformation, but a lot less graceful and a lot more embarrassing. 

"you saw that...from all the way...over...." of course. bit his own tongue and can't even talk. this is it: peak embarrassment. 

"over...by the counter? don't get me wrong, i was just scanning around the place after tae left." jungkook smiled as he reached out with the cup in his hand, holding it out to the other male. 

jimin, as red as he was and beyond speechless, decided to take the cup and slowly take a sip before placing it onto the table in a little space by his pens. "t-thanks."

all jungkook could do was nod and pair it with a smile, before bowing slightly and returning to his position. the shy boy made the slow day more interesting was what filled his mind as he walked away. 

the day continued on its slow path with a few customers coming in and ordering their drinks. the to-go culture really was sweeping the nation. jungkook felt that nobody just sat at a cafe and drank their coffee anymore. it was the fast-paced culture, the environment that buries a person in obligations and tells them they do not have the leisure to even sit and bask in the smell of coffee beans. maybe that's why jungkook was studying business and philosophy as a double major. he dreams of one day owning a business that slowed down the pace, that catered to their staff as much as their staff would cater the higher-ups. on a slow day such as this, he couldn't help but dream and analyze the busy people that made their way in. 

with the clock drawing closer to the his moment of freedom, he pulled off his apron and settles it on a hook just next to the espresso machine. he places his elbows on the counter, and leans over. making glances at the door awaiting his coworker, he starts to scan the room. few tables were taken up by people working. imagine having to take your work to a coffee break with you...society. jungkook sighed in his head before catching a glimpse of the shy boy packing up his things in a clumsy manner. he dropped all of his pens just trying to wrangle them up into a pile to place back into his pencil case. the barista laughed to himself, finding the clumsy manner of the boy to be rather endearing. as he saw the male bend down to pick up his scattered pens, jungkook raced over to aid him. he picks up a few that had rolled far past the clumsy male's scope of vision and walks up to hand it to him. "hey, you missed these."

jimin, scared as ever to hear the voice of the man he found so attractive, shot up and smacked his head under the table. smooth, so smooth. jimin started to grumble at himself in his mind, rubbing the top of his head before reaching out for the pens in the barista's hands. "i...um...thanks..."

jungkook flinched at the sound of the smack, knowing it had to have hurt. pure solid wood could do some damage, sadly. the shy male seemed to have been taking the pain well as he laid the pens into his hand. he's probably so clumsy that he's used to it... jungkook couldn't help but snicker in his thoughts about how the blushing male probably had this happen to him one too many times. "no problem. packing up so soon? what's the rush? i saw back there you were pretty focused on studying so i thought you would stay till closing."

"i...uh..." don't be lame, don't be lame, don't be- "i have plans with my mom..." you're a piece of work, park jimin.

"that's sweet of you. what are your plans for this beautiful day?"

just lie, how hard is it to just- "we're getting pedicures..." do you just do whatever you want? i'm supposed to CONTROL YOU.

"oh, don't worry. i understand how important it is to keep up your hygeine in your feet. you know, it sounds like a really relaxing day. i might have to take my mom to do that too. thank you for the idea...um?"

"j-jimin. park j-jimin."

"jimin. that's a pretty name. i'm jungkook. jeon jungkook. it's a pleasure to meet you."

duh i already know that. as soon as i came in, i read your nametag and memorized it because you're just so cute. oh my god. did i just think that? what is wrong with me i'm-

"jeon jungkook, i'm here. get out." 

a booming voice entered the room to cut off jimin's thoughts, his eyes immediately drawn to who it came from. a guy, maybe not even an inch taller was dressed just as jungkook was and was walking up to the counter. 

"oh, yoongi. well, that's my cue to go, jimin. it was great meeting you. and i hope to see you again!" he scurried off to the counter to make a grab for his backpack, immediately engaging in a conversation with the disgruntled shorter male. 

jimin, red-hot from embarrassing himself by telling an attractive stranger that he was about to go get his toe nails cleaned with his mother, shoved the rest of his things into his backpack. he puts away his two cups and makes a clean getaway to his car. he throws his backpack in the passenger seat after unlocking the car, getting in and buckling himself. he puts a hand on the head of the passenger seat, reversing out and driving off. i can't show my face their again. oh my god, i can't walk near this place.

yoongi raised a brow as he watched the whole scene of the smaller male fleeing the scene, changing his glance to jungkook who was also watching the scene unfold, as he held his backpack over his shoulder. the older male watched as the younger chuckled to himself before looking back at him with a grin. 

"smitten, are we?"

jungkook raised his brows out of curiosity, before a soft pink hue flushed the apples of his cheeks. "w-what? i don't even know the guy. he's friends with taehyung. you know tae, right?"

yoongi sighed a bit before nodding. "the one who flirts with anything that has a pulse? oh yeah, we've met."

"sound a little jealous there, hyung. are you interested in taehyung? or are you just going to keep being coy about it?"

"explain what taehyung has to do with this or get to walking before i chase you out."

"scary. small, but very scary. well they know each other. and he offered to set me up with him, but i don't know him enough. he's cute, but looks alone can't get people very far romantically. plus taehyung mentioned this thing about him only caring about school. so i don't think he has any interest in getting to know me." 

"oh. yeah, yeah. definitely. that's why he looked like a tomato talking to you. that's cool. story of my life: kook doesn't realize people see him and instantly think marriage."

"you're exaggerating, hyung. i'll see you later!"

"you live with rose-colored shades permanently glued to your face, huh?"

"those who live in a glass house shouldn't throw stones!" jungkook laughed to himself before running out of the coffee-filled establishment. freedom, sweet freedom.

he walks slowly to his car, unlocking the white hyundai before settling into the driver's seat, letting his backpack be tossed to the back as he turns on his car. "was he really a tomato talking to me?..." jungkook couldn't get the words of his hyung out of his mind. he could not particularly remember him flushing with red in his cheeks. was he just not paying attention? whatever, it wasn't like he was ever going to see him again. he doubted the place would become a regular for him. he must be too busy to come around and study at a cafe if he focused on school so much. if only taehyung could just get him to come a few more times so he could talk to him some more. god, what was he thinking? he just told taehyung and yoongi he wasn't interested. stay uninterested, jeon jungkook.