TIME AFTER TIME ; jjk

18

"That was just it. Infatuation. Probably an extreme fascination I had," I said.

"He could have been your first love, though. What is his name again?"

I raised my brows, wondering why he was asking these questions I didn't want to discuss anymore. But I wasn't feeling annoyed at the subject of our conversation.

Namjoon chuckled. "I'm also your friend aside from your aspiring boyfriend. Wait, no pressure. You can tell me about anything. You can even cry about it if you want and if you realize you're not yet over him."

"God, Namjoon, it's not funny." I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Ah, why are you so beautiful..." He closed the distance between us, opening his arms as if aiming for a hug, but I did not do anything.

"What does that have to do with our conversation?"

"I'm being appreciative. I can tell you that you look so beautiful whenever I feel like saying it, you know."

When he was about to reach for my hand, his phone suddenly rang. As he slid his finger across his phone screen and read a message, a frown immediately appeared on his face. Then, he let out a sigh.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, feeling worried.

He slipped his device back into the pocket of his jeans. Namjoon's shoulders were slumped down. "I'm sorry. Something came up."

"You have to go?"

"Unfortunately. I'll just call you up when you're home."

"Sure."

"Don't tire yourself."

"That can't be prevented."

I watched him wave his hand and go. I looked at my wrist watch and noticed someone whom I had not interacted with for quite long.

"Hi." Jungkook smiled at me as he was approaching my way. He had this different aura surrounding him today which was distinct from all other vibes I got from him before. It was a relief that he looked okay.

"Hi. You've missed out on a lot of snack dates with us," I told him, grinning.

"I'm sorry. I have been so busy with documentation work and research even during my break time."

"Wow, that's extra work. I haven't participated in any clinical research this year."

"You can try working on it anytime..." Jungkook looked around, his hands buried in the pockets of his white coat. "Are you free right now? Can I take you out for a short coffee break?"

"Where?"

"The nearest coffee shop outside, if that's okay with you."

"I can spare half an hour."

"Perfect. Then, let's hurry."

We walked to the coffee shop from across the street and let Jungkook order for the both of us because he insisted he would pay. An apology gift for not showing up on our snack dates, as what he called it.

When we were both seated across from each other while sipping our cup of coffees, Jungkook started, "You know, I've really racked my brain to remember you from our batch... I don't recall much but you seem to be the one who's always early in the library."

"Ah, yes." I said with a short reply because I didn't need to admit I usually came there early so I could secure a seat near his favorite reading spot.

"I spent a lot of time there back then. It was such a good place to study in."

"You bet," I concured.

"Because of me?"

I flinched in my seat and gave Jungkook a questioning look. "You're getting bold, huh?"

His chest heaved up and down as he laughed. "I was joking. Is someone going to be mad?"

"He doesn't get jealous over nonsense."

"Nonsense? Ouch."

"What's gotten into you? You never joke about it."

"I wanted to tease you. Friends can be comfortable teasing each other. You didn't find it funny so that's where it ends, I guess. Well, at least, I tried."

"You're not a good tease. Your future girlfriend will find you so awkward." Okay, what the hell was the use of word girlfriend for?

"Yeah, you just did."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not in the mood for his flirty jokes. This was definitely not the Jeon Jungkook I knew. "Jungkook, I'm so going to punch you."

He raised a brow, a small smile lingering in his lips. "It's supposed to be funny."

"You failed to make it funny." A moment of silence between us followed. I thought of something we could talk about. I said, "I feel so old now. I'm not yet even a board certified surgeon."

He nodded. "We'll be thirty-two or thirty-three by then."

"What's your plan?"

"I don't know. To be honest I don't have a clear vision of what I'm going to do next after residency. For now I just want to be recognized."

"In what way? You're popular among the residents, don't you know that?"

"I want to be recognized by the professors, and all the other doctors above us. That's an even bigger opportunity."

"Huh? That's what you want so you're working hard?"

Jungkook explained, "Isn't that good? Better chances are on the connections with the higher-ups. Better opportunities. You may not feel the same, but recognition gives me such a rewarding feeling even if I feel so unmotivated to continue... What are your plans?"

"Severance is nice, so far. I'll stay here even after getting my surgical license, hopefully. I want to be a CS fellow."

"What specialization?"

"Nothing's concrete yet. What about you?"

Jungkook looked shy for a second. "I really have no idea. What a shame. I'll just see how it goes."

I nodded. "It's okay. We still have two years to figure it out."

Jungkook stared at me for a moment after saying, "You know what, I don't know but I think I should tell you this. We started off on the wrong foot. We had really bad experiences with each other before. But now I just feel so at ease with you."

There was a delightful tug on my heart for a fleeting moment, appreciating his honesty. "It's nice to hear that I don't look so annoying to you now."

Jungkook laughed softly. "On a serious note, thank you."

"You don't have to thank me... How are things with Nam Jiwon?" It felt like I was intruding, but what Taehyung and I had witnessed felt like a pass to ask whatever was wrong. If we could help. If there was anything to be alarmed at. If that was a sign Jungkook needed to get out of it and stop being blind. But perhaps I was overthinking and seeing Jiwon in a bad light because of one unfortunate circumstance I knew nothing about. It shouldn't be that way.

"We're okay as friends... What you saw before is far from usual Jiwon. She's not usually like that. I hope you guys have not misunderstood her."

'She was physically hurting you, what more could have been done to not get the wrong impression?' "If that's the case, I still hope everything's okay. Taehyung's been worried because you don't tell him anything."

His mouth agape. "Hm, yeah, about that... Sorry. I'll have to talk to him."

"Yeah, that would be great. I think we should leave now."

Jungkook glanced down at his phone. "Looks like I've got a few more minutes. Let me come with you and walk you back to your department. Is that okay?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

short chap + delayed update sorryyy. 🙏 i'm so sleepy rn so excuse the messy parts lol thank you for reading and for being patient with me. have a great day/night.