Back in Busan, Jimin loved to study by the sea with his friends. They’d sit at an old workbench under the trees together, walking around bare-feet to feel the smooth texture of the white sand under their skin, the Sun beaming down ever so slightly on them; coloring Jimin the slight tan he sported on even now. The best part of his previous cramming place, was that he and his friends would run to soak their feet in the clear, warm sea water whenever they felt like the words and numerical from text books were eating away their ability to think.

Now, Jimin is just surrounded by concrete walls that were painted dark hues of red, the only source of light illuminating his view were the lamp hanging by the white ceiling, and none of the items inside reminisced him of the sea. To top that, he also has two idiot best friends to deal with.

Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook (the duo’s newest addition) were splayed out in Taehyung’s spacious room, trying to finish their chemistry homework. Taehyung lied down on his stomach on his strangely bright orange bed with a pillow tucked underneath his torso, a pen balanced between his nose and mouth as he tried hard to process the question written down in his book. Jungkook sat on the carpet, back resting against the bed frame and his own book was spread between his legs. Jungkook tried hard not to, but he creased his eyebrows at the question, while Jimin placed himself comfortably on Taehyung’s swivel chair, hand easily writing down answers. Jimin wasn’t that smart, but he was certainly doing better than Taehyung and Jungkook were.

“Jimin!” both Taehyung and Jungkook cried out in unison when they finally had enough of hovering over the same question for half an hour.

Jimin swiveled the chair around to meet the two distraught faces.

“What?”

Taehyung frowned.

“Come on, you know what. Teach us this question! What does organic even mean?!”

Jimin rolled his eyes. Taehyung has got to stop focusing on passing Jimin notes during classes. By this rate Taehyung’s not going to pass the upcoming test.

“What about you Jungkook? Isn’t your class’s teacher a better one than mine and Taehyung’s?” Jimin moved his attention to Jungkook.

“Chemistry is… not my forte I guess?” Jungkook just hunched his shoulder. Jimin sighed.

It took Jimin 20 minutes to make sure Taehyung got the concept of hydrocarbons. Jungkook was an easier task, but Taehyung was one hard skull. It took the three of them another hour to finish the rest three questions before they finally decided to stop jamming their heads. Jimin was glad that at least Taehyung tried to pay attention to him instead of marveling at how pretty the fonts in the textbook were (seriously, if Taehyung would just pay a bit more attention, he’d notice that they were just all same old Calibri).

By the time they really finish the cramming session it was already 10.20 p.m. and their bellies were growling. So Taehyung invited them into his kitchen for supper before Jimin and Jungkook go back home.

The meal was just small pizza bites made by Taehyung’s cook earlier in the day, but it was enough to fill their empty stomachs.

It has been quite a while since the trio gathered like that, since their last outing at Garosugil a week ago and they dive in the moment. It wasn’t like they didn’t meet each other at school or at practices, but during the week they haven’t had the maknae time together. Taehyung was busy with family affairs, Jungkook attended extra hours of his dance academy and that left Jimin alone, so he spent time with Hyeon and Jurongie the cat.

“Did Jin hyung said we have any game coming this month?” Jungkook asked, chewing on a bite. It’s turning February, and things were going quite bland for his liking.

“Nah. We’ll start in March with the district tournaments and none other schools are asking for a friendly, so I think we’re doing fine,” Jimin answered.

“I heard Namjoon hyung talking to Yoongi hyung about finding us a coach though,” he continued. Both Taehyung and Jungkook quirked their eyebrows in surprise.

“Really? When?” Jungkook quipped.

“During Wednesday practice. You went back early without me again, idiot,” Jimin pointed his index towards Taehyung in an accusing manner. Taehyung just broke into a guilty grin and mouthed a small sorry. “But anyway I was going home when I heard Yoongi hyung talking to Namjoon hyung in the gym about finding a coach, but I thought I misheard it so I just straight went back home. But yesterday I saw some notes in Jin hyung’s organizer, and maybe what I heard was true,” Jimin provided.

Jungkook let his eyes wander off for a moment, trying to process the possibility.

“But why do you think we need one?” Taehyung interrupted. “I mean, not bragging or anything but aren’t Yoongi hyung capable enough? Weren’t the team fine before?” he shoved a bite inside his mouth. Jimin shrugged his shoulders in response. Jungkook leaned back in his seat.

“They didn’t win the championships last year due to the absence of a coach,” Jungkook finally spilled.

“How?” Jimin pushed his new (reads: Yoongi-bought) glasses back to its place.

“As much as Ikje was an excellent captain, and Yoongi hyung is a rad skillful player with hawk-eyed Jin by his side, you can’t beat experience with mere assumptions. Their final match was against the Got It kids from JYP International School and that team, well their coach is Kang Joonhyung,” Jungkook trailed.

“Woah”

“Damn ”

Jimin and Taehyung exclaimed in unison.

“You mean, the Joonhyung from Seoul National alumni? That’s sick!” Taehyung burst, crumbs of bread dribbled down his mouth. Jimin watched in disgust and immediately reached out for a tissue before forcefully wiping Taehyung’s mouth clean. Jungkook unconsciously eyed Jimin’s action with possessive eyes.

“So, I was saying. Without an experienced coach, it would be hard to read tactics and plays set up from a team that has a coach. M’not saying it’s impossible but it’s going to be real tough for us. Bang Middle School has one, but he couldn’t afford to take two teams at a time,” Jungkook continued.

The other two just nodded in acknowledgment.

They finished eating and talking at a few minutes past eleven, and Jungkook’s driver was outside the house in Taehyung’s lawn, waiting to pick him up since Jungkook lived on the other side of the neighborhood and it would take him about half an hour if he were to walk. The three fist-bumped each other and said their ‘goodbye’s.

“Jiminnie be safe. It’s dark, and quickly call me if anything okay?” Taehyung spoke in a worried tone as Jimin walked out of the gates. The two lived a 10 minutes walking distance from each other, but it was a bit late for Jimin to be walking alone and Taehyung was concerned. But Jimin’s full smile gave him some sort of assurance.

The walk back home was sort of eerie because it was a bit cold for a February night and the distance was filled with only big trees on one side of the road, and the way the dim streetlights illuminate the whole area made it felt kind of spooky for Jimin. The orange light flickered and made Jimin reconsidered his choices of going back.

So he fished out his phone from his pocket and re-adjusted the position of his school bag before calling a number. Jimin waited for a bit and after three rings, he heard the rustle sound of someone on the other end of the line.

“Jimin?”

“Hoseok hyung, are you busy?”

“What, no, I’m just finishing some stuff but what’s up?”

“I, uhm do you think you could keep me company for 5 minutes or so?”

“Sure but what’s wrong? You sounded scared.”

“Well yeah kind of. I’m on my way back home from Taehyung’s and it’s kind of spooky here alone so,” Jimin looked at his surrounding as he walked past them.

“That punk made you walk home alone?! Aish seriously Taehyung’s gonna get his kicked when we have lunch tomorrow at school for doing this to our Jiminnie,” Hoseok’s grunted on the other side and Jimin chuckled at him.

“Nah hyung it’s not Tae’s fault. I offered to walk back alone. So, what are you doing hyung?”

“Just finishing some stupid literature homework,” Hoseok scoffed.

“Ah I see…” Jimin trailed off, not sure how to respond. They were silent for a moment; Jimin was trying to think of things to say, and Hoseok wrote the last paragraph of his review.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“The other day, I- I accidentally saw Jin hyung’s organizer- don’t tell him I told you- but, I uhm, are we searching for a coach?” Jimin asked, hesitant.

There was a pause on Hoseok’s side before he answered.

“…Ah, about that, yes. Namjoon and Yoongi hyung are working on it. We need one to improve, don’t we?”

“Of course! But uhm, the way Jungkook said it… it sounded like something really serious,”

“Actually, it is, to Yoongi hyung,” Hoseok replied and Jimin’s interest risen.

“But why?” the question sounded awkward even to Jimin’s own ears, because they all know how important basketball is to each and every one of them, but Jimin sensed a bigger meaning to Yoongi.

“Jimin-ah, Yoongi’s father wanted him to attend economics college. The family wants him to run the company but-“

“Yoongi hyung doesn’t want to, right?”

Hoseok chuckled lightly.

“Sounds like a typical rich boy problem right? But anyway, he needs a sports scholarship to deny his family’s request, and his biggest chance for a scholarship offer is to win the championships. Winning the summer championships is important, because Yoongi hyung and Jin hyung can’t afford to divide their focus in the second semester for winter championships,” Hoseok spoke slowly, letting Jimin to take everything in.

“So he’ll get a bigger shot of we have a coach,” Jimin finally concluded the conversation.

“Yeah, you get the idea. Let’s just hope for the best and do well as a team,” Hoseok yawned.

Jimin reached the front of his house and decided to let Hoseok go to sleep since the elder sounded sleepy already.

“Thanks hyung, goodnight,” he wanted to end the phone call, eyes sparkling for a moment when he saw his pair of black training shoes on the rack but Hoseok called for him again.

“Ah Jimin!”

“Yes hyung?” Jimin closed the door slowly, trying to produce the slightest noise possible, not wanting to wake his family members up.

“Don’t tell Yoongi hyung I told you this. He doesn’t like his friends to worry about him,” Hoseok reminded.

“Okay hyung. Will not,” Jimin ended the conversation.

The next day during lunch, Hoseok gave Taehyung an earful about ‘sending your best friend out to be eaten by the night is harmful for you’ and Jimin felt sorry for him because technically it wasn’t his fault, but Jimin might as well enjoy the sight while it lasts.

“Okay kids I have an important news flash for you guys,” Jin called for attention. The three maknaes froze in their seat.

Did Jin hyung know what we were talking about?

“The schedule’s changed a bit. The summer tournament has been moved forward a bit and will start mid-April instead of May,” Jin provided, tone a bit troubled. Beside him, Jimin felt Yoongi subtly tensing up. Jungkook released his breath slowly.

“So we’ve got to drill a bit harder. Also,” Jin paused, gesturing Namjoon to continue his sentence for him.

“-Yoongi hyung and I are in and out of the process of finding us a coach,” Namjoon said, sipping his drink. Jimin gave Hoseok a quick look and the elder pressed his lips into a thin line.

“So in the meantime, we just have to hold on by ourselves, like we always do. It’s not a big deal,” Yoongi resolved. He didn’t like the way Namjoon said it. The younger made it sound like they’re in a grave situation or something. So Yoongi pretended like it was nothing big, but everybody else around the table (save for the two clueless puppies Jungkook and Taehyung) knew that Yoongi was gambling for his future.

Seeing how Yoongi didn’t seem like he wanted to carry the topic forward, the group settled into animated talks about school and the things beyond. Jungkook pleaded to Jin for a session of additional mathematics tutoring and Namjoon scolded the younger for not managing his time correctly. He said that Jungkook should cut his hours of dancing, so that he doesn’t fall behind his studies. Taehyung and Hoseok discussed the latest girl groups’ songs and Taehyung was squealing every time Hoseok sang some incoherent lines. Jimin ate the remainings of his chicken, pretending to join in the conversation Taehyung and Hoseok had, but once in a while he steals glances towards Yoongi, who seemed to be unusually distraught.

Jimin couldn’t help but to worry a bit because Yoongi wasn’t stealing his food like the elder always do.

"Okay kids. See you at practice."

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hello hello dear readers! woooooo what do we have in the chapter? a coach in desperate need of action! x) the mystery man will show up soon! who do you think it could be? hahahah keep it waiting guys~

on a different note, i'm planning to post a 12-days vhope drabble challenge (it was requested by someone), and it would be really great if you guys could help me by posting word prompts on my wall to get me started! each chapter won't be long (it's a drabble challenge) but yeah it would be fun if you guys join me! thank you so much guys!