"So are you going to say ‘yes,’ Hamin-ah?" -Jung Hoseok

Chapter 12: The Beast and the Prince Meet the Queen

Hamin entered her house and froze when she saw a particular pair of shoes by the door. She recognized those shoes. Those large, glossy, white sneakers.

Taehyung was home.

Already? But it’s only Monday, she thought to herself nervously. She quickly took her own shoes off and tiptoed in, already hearing the loud chatter of Jimin and Taehyung in the kitchen. She knew she couldn’t get away without being noticed; the kitchen was very much open and connected to the living room, which was the only way to her room. She took a deep breath. 

Come on, Park Hamin. Don’t be so awkward. You missed Taehyung oppa didn’t you? she asked herself internally. She nodded, as if to convince herself that she did miss the guy. And his lovely chocolate cake and green tea latte, along with his peach iced tea and━

“Whatchu doing there Min-ah?” 

Hamin jumped and looked up at the person talking to her. It was Jimin, peering over the corner to where she was at, wearing a grey apron and holding a spatula. He raised his eyebrows at his sister whom he had seen looking lost and standing awkwardly by the door. 

“Nothing. I was just about to come in,” Hamin smiled weakly. Jimin nodded before glancing back at Taehyung, who was already looking in their direction when he heard the word “Min-ah.”

“You’re back early,” Hamin maintained her smile as she made eye-contact with Taehyung. She took in his soft eyes and messy hair; he looked tired and yet his mouth was in that typical boxy grin of his. Hamin relaxed, feeling a sense of relief when she saw his warm smile. Because it was the same one she had been seeing from him since the beginning. And in that moment, she forgot about what had happened between the two of them prior to his trip back home; it seemed as though everything was the same. He was still the same, old caring Taehyung oppa and she was the same, old thankful Minnie Mouse.

At least for her.

It was a little different for Taehyung.

For Taehyung, the moment he laid eyes on her, he realized how much he actually missed Hamin. He had missed her long, brown hair and round eyes, and he had been dying to see that smile of hers...even though it had only been less than a week since he was gone. He was just happy to see her, and all he could do at the moment was strain to keep himself from running to her and trapping her in his arms. So he could only grin like an idiot instead.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Is Auntie okay?” Hamin asked and Taehyung nodded once more.

“That’s a relief,” Hamin laughed, but it sounded forced, and she felt the uncomfortableness soon hitting her again. 

“We should all visit Auntie and Uncle sometime soon. In the meantime, Hamin can you set the table? We’ll be eating the feast we cooked soon,” Jimin couldn’t help but in, sensing the slightly awkwardness in the air between the two of them.

Because he had heard from Taehyung what had happened about an hour ago.

He heard everything. And so he knew how his sister and best friend might be feeling.

Or at least he thought he knew. 

Hamin obeyed without question after she threw her school bag on the couch and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. 

Taehyung slightly tensed when she stepped into the kitchen, and watched her out of the corner of his eye as she reached around for utensils and cups to set the table with. 

“It smells so good,” Hamin praised as she sniffed the air already perfumed with cooked meat and stew. Taehyung chuckled at that and Jimin shrugged.

“Well it makes it more obvious our chef is back home, right?” he smiled. Hamin nodded as she went to the dining table. 

“Hey um,” Jimin began to say as he began scooping rice to put into some bowls. He reached for a fourth bowl and Hamin looked back at him and waited for him to continue.

“Do you want to...invite Cindy?” Jimin asked, his eyes fixed on the rice cooker, feeling his ears and face heat up.

And he knew it wasn’t from the steam rising from the cooker.

“Oh she’s busy,” Hamin went back to setting the table when she heard his question. Jimin turned his head at that. 

“Busy? What’s she doing?” 

“We didn’t really have time for her to explain much, but I think she said she had a dinner date with some sunbae she knew back in high school,” Hamin explained. She had been wanting to hear the ”tea” from her friend earlier but when class was over, there wasn’t much time to chat as Hamin had another class, making her have to run out. 

“Oh,” Jimin nodded, a little disappointed. He went back to scooping rice, putting away the fourth bowl he had reached for. 

“Yeah, I think they’re pretty close. I remember seeing him at the banquet too and he’s quite the looker,” Hamin continued.

Jimin froze. 

“Him?” he asked, a little bothered. His grip on the bowl he was holding tightened.

“Yeah. I’m so jealous. I don’t have any good looking sunbaes like her,” Hamin pouted and that made both Jimin and Taehyung defensive. For two various reasons of course. 

“You don’t need good looking sunbaes like her,” Taehyung said and Jimin nodded.

“And Park Hamin you don’t even have a good eye for men. I bet he isn’t that good looking,” Jimin added. Hamin scoffed at their comments.

“Hey, I know a good looking man when I see one, okay?” she defended herself but ended up shaking her head, “Whatever. Let’s eat guys; I’m hungry.”

And that made the two men in the kitchen shut their mouths and finish preparing the table. Jimin’s eyebrows remained knitted as he wondered who it was that Hamin called “good looking” and “Cindy’s sunbae.” 

Well, he was soon bound to find out.

***

“We can’t just let the night go by; Taehyung is back,” Jimin announced as soon as the table was cleared and stomachs were full. Hamin looked at him in annoyance.

“Can we celebrate another time? It’s Monday and I have work later; you know that,” she said. Jimin closed his mouth. Taehyung just sat silently, agreeing with her that it was a little extra to celebrate his unexpected return on a Monday night. 

“Fine then I’ll just celebrate with Taehyung,” Jimin said after a moment, crossing his arms. Hamin laughed, shaking her head.

“You two go ahead,” she began to get up.

“Where are you going?” Taehyung blurted out, looking up at her from his seat. 

“I gotta get ready for work,” she replied with a small smile. Taehyung nodded at that, but he couldn’t help but feel a little saddened by the fact that she had to leave. He had just got back and was hoping to be able to spend time with her. 

Well, he’d have to wait.

“Let’s go out man,” Jimin looked hopefully at Taehyung once Hamin was out of sight in her room. Taehyung sighed as he turned away from Jimin.

“Didn’t you hear Minnie? It’s Monday night and you have work tomorrow. Just go to bed and we’ll celebrate another time,” he said. Jimin groaned in frustration.

“What is up with you two? Let’s just go out for a bit,” he pleaded. Taehyung shook his head, “Well if anything, we should go grocery shopping. There’s nothing to eat for tomorrow after that massive meal we cooked for dinner.”

“That’s awfully boring but I’m down,” Jimin said as he got up to get dressed. Taehyung wondered what had gotten into his friend, being all insistent about going out, but in Jimin’s defense, he just needed some fresh air from spending the whole day trapped in his house. It was nearly 8pm and he was ready to get out of his pajamas. That and he needed to get his mind off of some things...that had to do with a “good-looking” sunbae of a particular someone or whatever.

Taehyung chuckled as he watched Jimin march  into his room. Then he sighed, his eyes moving towards Hamin’s closed door. He hated the fact that he couldn’t go to her. That he would have to wait another day to clear things up with her and talk about matters...that had to do with their relationship.

“Let’s go!” Jimin came out in less than two minutes, dressed casually with a flannel over a white shirt and a dark pair of jeans. He put on a beanie to cover his messy hair as well. 

“Right now?” Taehyung asked, shocked as to how fast Jimin got ready, and was soon pulled up by his friend.

“Yeah, come on man,” Jimin said before yelling, “Min-ah! We’re going grocery shopping ‘kay? Have fun at work!”

“Okay! You guys too!” was Hamin’s response from the room and Taehyung couldn't help but eye her room door again in case she came out to say her farewell greeting. But not a hair of her was in sight. 

He sighed again as he left the house, carrying his suitcase out the door with him, knowing he would go back to his own home after grocery shopping. So that meant he wouldn’t see Hamin again that night. 

“Hurry up, I’m going to start the car,” Jimin nagged, seeming unaware of the disappointed state his friend was in. Taehyung obediently increased his speed, placing his suitcase in the back seats before sliding into the passenger seat of Jimin’s car.

“I think you guys definitely need to talk it out sometime, but tonight’s not the right time,” Jimin said as soon as they began to hit the road. Taehyung turned his head to look at him.

“Did she seem awkward with me to you too?” Taehyung asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Taehyung had noticed Hamin’s tenseness earlier throughout the meal, glancing at him nervously and being relatively quiet at the table. Jimin nodded slowly, his hands steering the wheel.

“I’m worried about you guys to be honest,” Jimin said, his voice deeper to show how serious he was, “But knowing you and Park Hamin, I’m sure you guys just need time. It’s going to work out one way or the other.”

“Yeah I hope so,” Taehyung said quietly. He then smiled, trying to lighten up the mood. “Is that why you dragged me out? To give us time? Thanks Jimin-ah.”

“Are you kidding? I needed fresh air as much as you man,” Jimin laughed before continuing, “And besides, I was going to try to brighten things up myself by celebrating your return altogether. It’s too bad she has work.” 

“It’s alright. You’re the crazy one for suggesting a party on a Monday night,” Taehyung said with a shrug.

“You two and ‘Monday nights,’” Jimin shook his head. 

And before long, the two made it to a plaza and began their shopping.

It took nearly an hour for the two guys to retrieve everything they needed, mostly because Taehyung spent twice as long as he should have debating on what 1+1 items he should get. Jimin was the one who pushed the cart around as Taehyung went through the list in his phone, inspecting each product that was a potential candidate to go into their cart. And after a full hour, they successfully went through the line and were on their way back to the car. 

That is, until Taehyung realized they forgot carrots. 

“Are you serious right now?” Jimin groaned, throwing his head back. Taehyung nodded with a sheepish grin, “Yeah. Sorry.”

Jimin gave him a side glare, making Taehyung speak up fast. “I’ll go in by myself and quickly get them. You stay out here and watch the cart, ‘kay?”

“Okay but hurry,” Jimin gave him a nod and watched as Taehyung jogged his way back into the store.

“Carrots…” Jimin mumbled to himself as his eyes roamed about the plaza he was standing in. He saw the lit cafes and other varieties of shops throughout the place, and before he realized, he could hear the rain hitting the glass roof of the shopping center. 

“Did it say it was going to rain?” he pulled out his phone to check the weather. He then looked around to see more and more people filling the plaza, most likely to escape the rain. He leaned over the handle of the carts as he continued to wait for Taehyung and his carrots.

“Cindy…?” 

Jimin narrowed his eyes when his eyes landed on a rather familiar figure near the entrance of the main doors. Blonde hair, dark denim jacket, white dress.

It was Cindy Han indeed.

Jimin found himself smiling as he watched her shake about from getting wet in the rain outside and only then did he remember how Hamin had told him she had a date with some sunbae. Some good looking sunbae.

But Cindy was alone at the moment and Jimin was a bit glad about that. He quickly unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found her name. And he pressed on it before taking the phone up to his ear. 

“Hello?” she said after a few dials. Jimin smiled bigger at her fast response, his eyes still on her from a distance.

“Hey.”

“Jimin oppa? What’s up? I think this is the first time you actually called me this late at night!” he could hear her excited voice. 

“Oh is it?” he chuckled before clearing his throat, “What’re you doing now?” 

He was curious now, and if she wasn’t too busy, he could maybe buy her a drink from one of those cafes or even offer to drive her home…

“I’m soaked and now I’m waiting for the rain to stop,” Cindy’s voice came through and Jimin laughed at that. And his mouth would’ve stayed in that pretty smile of his if it weren’t for an intruder who ran into the scene, wearing a matching dark denim jacket and holding some umbrellas along with a couple of towels.

Jimin watched him as he handed Cindy a towel and grinned at her. Jimin’s own smile faded, but he saw Cindy smile back and only then did Jimin feel the need to take a good look at the man’s face.

Is that the sunbae guy? Jimin thought to himself. He tried to scan the guy’s face from afar but all he could tell was the fact that the guy was a buff guy. And pretty tall too. And that made Jimin feel...not so great, actually. 

“Who is that next to you?” he asked, not realizing how cold he sounded. He just wanted to hear from Cindy herself that the man standing next to her was the sunbae. He wanted a confirmation. Why was he so worked up about this? Well, it was hard to say, since even Jimin himself had no idea why he was overreacting about someone’s else’s business and dinner date. 

“What? Who? Can you see me oppa or....” 

But Cindy’s voice made it clear to him that she wasn’t just someone else. She was Cindy. His kiddo. The girl that made him rather confused and often heat up lately. 

And before he knew it, he was standing by Cindy’s side, grabbing her wrist. She looked at him with huge eyes, shocked to see him. 

“Jimin oppa..?” 

“Who is he?” Jimin asked again, his eyes now able to take a good view of the man with the denim jacket. He hated to admit it, but Hamin was right. The guy was good-looking. But who cares? He’s only Cindy’s sunbae. The man who has her heart was Jimin himself. There was no competition to even begin with, right? Jimin just had to hear that. He just needed to hear from them that the man before him was only...merely her sunbae and nothing more.

“He’s my━” Cindy began.

“Babe.”

That was not the answer Jimin was expecting. And it most definitely wasn’t the answer he wanted. He felt his heart drop and almost scowled at the man, who just looked back at him with a soft smile. That made Jimin even more annoyed. Who really was this guy?

“Sunbae,” Cindy corrected, waving her hands at Jimin in case he misunderstood. 

“Oppa,” Jungkook corrected her right after.

“Can you stop?” Cindy turned to look at Jungkook with a worried face. She glanced at Jimin, who still had no idea as to what was even happening at the present moment.

“He works at Hope’s World, just so you know. And he’s a big fan of Jung Sajang-nim too!” Cindy tried to make things less icy as she recalled the similarity the two men in front of her had. They were both game and arts people, and she knew how much Jimin looked up to Hope’s World, as well as how much Jungkook adored Hoseok. So she tried to make them bond. 

But she only made Jimin’s fire burn stronger. 

He works at Hope’s World? Jimin knitted his eyebrows even more as he scanned Jungkook from head to toe. He looked younger than himself, and the fact that Jungkook had such a prestigious job made Jimin feel...small. Smaller. 

So Cindy Han had a good-looking sunbae who was nice and young and even had a job at a company Jimin himself absolutely respected. Great.

“That’s great,” Jimin repeated his thoughts. Jungkook stretched his hand out.

“Hi. I’m Jungkook by the way. Are you really a fan of Jung Sajang-nim too?” he grinned.

“I’m Jimin and yes, I admire the CEOs of Hope’s World,” Jimin took his hand but he didn’t return the smile as he added, “I work for a game designing company myself. At Serendipity & Co.’s as their art director.”

“Oh really? I love that company too!” Jungkook kept his grin on before stepping back and putting his large hand on Cindy’s shoulder. Jimin felt his already cold face grimace. 

“And I know Cindy wants to work there too, from what I’ve heard,” Jungkook said, “We went to the same high school and were in the same art club so I know she’s quite the talent.”

“Yeah she is,” Jimin nodded, his eyes moving to the ground as his fist clenched. Cindy squirmed away from Jungkook as she stepped towards Jimin. 

“Oh you guys are too kind,” she laughed before taking another step closer to Jimin. “What brings you here oppa?”

“Well…” Jimin was about to explain when he heard a frantic voice.

“Yah, Park Jimin! Where’d you go off to leaving behind our cart like that?” 

It was Kim Taehyung, who ran to him pushing their abandoned cart now with a pack of carrots added. 

“Oh…” he trailed off when he saw Jimin standing with two other people. One he recognized.

“You’re with Misook,” he smiled as he waved.

“Cindy! How many times do I have to tell you?” Cindy nearly shouted and Taehyung jumped back nodding apologetically.

“Cindy. Right. Sorry,” he gave her a weak smile. 

“I don’t understand why you insist on people calling you ‘Cindy,’ Sook-ah. Your name’s so pretty,” Jungkook said to her. Cindy felt her cheeks grow warm and she grabbed them with her palms to cool them down.

“No…” she muttered rather shyly. She didn’t want to argue against that, remembering how she had dissed Jungkook’s mother last time she did. Taehyung nodded in agreement to what Jungkook said, mostly because if Cindy embraced her Korean name, he wouldn’t get yelled at every time he called her ‘Misook…’ which was literally every single time he saw her. He somehow always forgot she preferred “Cindy.”

Jimin didn’t know what to say. He felt out of place. He felt like he was losing. To this “Jungkook sunbae-oppa” who even got to call Cindy “Sook-ah,” a cute nickname. Everything about him━from his matching outfit with her to his honey voice and sweet words━made him so fitting. So fitting as a potential boyfriend. And while he was aware that he wasn’t her actual “babe” in the present moment...he just might be soon enough. 

That is, unless Jimin made a move first. But would he? Was he a hundred percent sure of his feelings for Cindy?

“We’ll be heading home now. You two have fun,” Jimin bowed slightly before pushing the cart along. Taehyung raised his eyebrows and bowed as well, trailing out behind him. Cindy wanted to grab Jimin’s arm but ended up not, and Jungkook stood still, returning the bows thrown at them. 

“Bye…” Cindy ended up waving at Jimin and Taehyung’s backs and only then did she take a deep breath. “Why’d you do that sunbae?” 

“Oppa, remember?” Jungkook rolled his eyes playfully before asking, “Do what?”