Empathy | Jikook

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Jimin woke up at the same time he does everyday, and rolled off the bed to the floor like the lazy sloth he is. He went through his usual routine to get ready, having forgotten about the boy from yesterday.

Jimin sipped on his coffee and ate his cereal in silence just like usual. His morning was perfectly normal until his brain had the chance to wake up and process everything. When that happened he remembered the events of the previous day and frown crept its way onto his face.

Jimin cleaned up and set off to work with a lot on his mind. He hoped he would see the boy again, but he knew it was a long shot. He had never seen him before yesterday so who knows if he would return to the small cafe again. He could have hated it and never wanted to return. Or maybe he was tourist and left town, never to return again.

When Jimin arrived at work he was greeted by a hyper Taehyung. "Jiminie! Did you miss me while i was gone?" Jimin chuckled and responded with "good morning to you too. I'm glad you're back." Taehyung grinned and ran off to Seokjin hyung while Jimin went to the back to get ready.

When he came out Seokjin hyung informed him he would be returning to his normal job of cleaning tables. Jimin silently thanked him and sat in the chair by the counter as he waited for the cafe to open. The morning went by slowly, there weren't very many customers and he had almost nothing to do, so Jimin was relieved when his break finally came at two.

Once again, Jimin stared into space, simply existing for the duration of his break, no thoughts, no sound, it was peaceful and he loved that. He welcomed the silence and was grateful Taehyung didn't have his break at the same time as him or he would be forced to talk to the younger that tries so hard to be his friend, without much luck.

Jimin returned from his break and suddenly remembered the boy from yesterday. He had slipped his mind during his relaxing break. A sigh escaped Jimin's lips as he cleaned some tables that customers had occupied while he was away, while silently wishing the boy would come in for a drink.

The day seemed it would drag on forever until a rush of customers came in out of nowhere. The entire room was full, a very rare thing in such a small cafe. Taehyung was working double time trying to keep up with everything so Jimin went over and helped him by taking orders and making drinks. Tae seemed really relieved to have the help and a bright smile returned to his face.

A solid hour of the crazy rush went by before things finally started to calm down. Taehyung told Jimin he could handle it from there and Jimin returned to cleaning tables, something he had neglected to do during the chaos.

He got a tray and began collecting the empty coffee cups and plates with cake crumbs. Next, he gathered all the napkins, wrappers, and other sorts of trash to dispose of in the garbage can. Finally, he grabbed a rag and wiped down all the tables to remove the coffee rings and other spills.

By the time Jimin was done, the cafe was almost deserted. He sunk into the chair by the counter with a sigh of relief. He had been on his feet for so long it felt good to sit down and relax his muscles. Taehyung sat in the chair next to him, mimicking Jimin's actions. Of course Jimin was trying to relax so he ignored Taehyung's presence. Naturally Taehyung did not approve of this and started poking Jimin's face saying, "JIMINIEEEEE! DON'T IGNOREEEE MEEEE!"

Jimin groaned in frustration and smacked Taehyungs hand away. So much for relaxing... Jimin thought. "Alright! Alright! What do you want?" He asked Taehyung. "YAYYY JIMINIE STOPPED IGNORING ME!" Taehyung shouted for everyone to hear, a whole two people who looked up, gave confused questioning looks, and went back to their coffee.

Taehyung got up and went back behind the counter without another word. Jimin rolled his eyes and stared at the wall out of boredom, he had nothing to do, so why not? Soon he became as relaxed as he is during his breaks and a small smile crept onto his face. Taehyung quickly took notice if this and chanted, "JIMINIE IS SMILING! JIMINIE IS SMILING!"

This pulled Jimin out of his trance with a sigh and long list of rather rude words mumbled under his breath. Jimin glared at the happy little ball of sunshine who some how seemed not to notice his annoyance.

Another hour went by and a few more people came in to order drinks. It was ten minutes before Jimin's shift ended when the little bell jingled at the top of the door. Signaling that someone just walked in and catching Jimin's attention. A familiar raven haired boy walked in and Jimin stared at him intently. He had the same tired look on his face as before, except he somehow seemed to be even more exhausted.

Jimin watched his every move intently, watching for something. The only problem, he didn't know what that something is. The strange boy quietly ordered the same thing as before and again, avoided eye contact. Taehyung seemed to be a little uncomfortable with him and his normally bright smile faltered.

Taehyung handed the boy his drink, getting a small "thank you" in return. The difference between today and yesterday is instead of immediately leaving, the boy walked over to a small table by the window. He sat down and stared at Jimin from across the room while Taehyung gladly took his break.

Jimin and the strange boy locked gazes and it was as if he was calling for Jimin to come to him without making a sound. Jimin found himself getting up and walking over to the boy. He had no intention of doing so, but no intention to stop. It was like he was acting against his own free will.

He sat down across from the boy and they continued to stare at each other. After a while, the boys eyes slipped down to the name plate on Jimin's shirt. "Jimin." He said in a whisper, like he was afraid to make too much noise. "Yes?" Jimin questioned. "I'm Jungkook." The boy replied. "That's a nice name." Jimin stated.

Everything said was spoken quietly with little emotion. Jungkook reached into his pocket and pulled out a little slip of paper and a pen. He wrote something down on the paper and placed it in front of Jimin before getting up and leaving without another word.

Jimin picked up the paper and slid it into his pocket. It was time for him to leave, so he went into the back and got his stuff before bidding Taehyung and Seokjin hyung goodbye.