LAST RESORT | JIKOOK ✔️

15. OLD HABITS DIE HARD

Taehyung nods his head, standing. "Yeah, okay. I'll see you back at the house when I see you." He walks off and Jimin watches him through the window of the café as he drives away.

He hasn't been completely honest lately. Not just with the people around him but also himself. He has never really been too keen on facing the truth and it's been coming back to bite him in the ass, a lot harsher lately.

Jimin pulls his laptop out of the bag he had brought, placing it on the tabletop. The project Jeongguk had helped him with got an incredible score, just about an A plus. In a way he feels guilty because he hadn't completed it by himself. But a good grade is a good grade, and that's what he's been lacking lately.

He remembers the night like it was yesterday. And now that he thinks about it, it was then that he probably started to really catch feelings. Not just some heat of the moment feelings that lead to another night wrapped up in blankets, kissing until the sun rises. Real feelings.

Jimin feels a sudden presence across from him. He looks up, staring at a strange lady. She seems familiar with her bobbed brown hair and soft facial attributes. He isn't sure what she's wearing on her bottom half but there's a beige blazer accentuating her slim arms and a golden necklace hugging her neck. She looks very delicate. But he can't quite place a finger on where he may recognize her from.

"Hello," she says, her voice benign.

Jimin's gaze flits left to right uncertainly until he gains the courage to look her in her eyes. "Hi?" he replies, closing his laptop slowly.

"You probably don't know who I am." Her fingers fold over the surface of the table.

The blond blinks at her. "Not really," he confirms.

She runs her tongue over her top row of teeth, leaning her elbows against the table. "How about I make this a little bit easier for you. Does the name Jeongguk ring a bell?"

Jimin's eyes widen. He clears his throat while rubbing at his neck. "I think everyone knows Jeongguk," he replies.

It's all coming together now. This is the lady who visited Jeongguk's penthouse that one night. This is who he ran into in the hallway. Of course it was only a matter of time. But he didn't expect the confrontation to be like this and totally sudden.

"And some do better than others." She leans into the back of the booth, crossing her arms.

If anything, it feels like he's being interrogated and her tone sounds extremely condescending. He's messing with his fingers in his lap, where she won't see his act of nervousness.

"My name is Soomin, Jeongguk's sister. I've seen you on multiple occasions and I can't quite seem to figure out why. You left Jeongguk's penthouse that one night I stopped by. And in fact I saw you leaving his office yesterday morning." She's inspecting her nails now, acting like a total bitch about it. Jimin doesn't care if he's being overdramatic. This is this exact vibe he's getting from her.

"You must've seen someone else―"

"I believe I have the right person. You have distinct features. I've never seen a man quite as beautiful as you. So it's safe to say I'm slightly perplexed. If you were a woman, I'd understand. Why is it exactly that you're seeing my brother secretly and why haven't I been introduced to you?" she asks.

Jimin feels himself getting smaller and smaller. He's been cornered and he has absolutely no idea what to say, not without Jeongguk here to back him up. He doesn't usually need somebody to fight his battles for him but this is uncharted territory.

Nobody knows that Jeongguk likes men. And he knows that it's supposed to stay that way. Yet he can't pick his brain to find the right words. He can't even think right now, especially with how she's looking at him.