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1:58 PM
after simply walking away from Jimin, leaving the boy standing awkwardly right in front of the cyber cafe, Taehyung kept in mind his mother's task for him, to get her a cup of her favorite flavor when it came to juice
the boy arrived to a restaurant in which was a small section where two people took care of selling drinks of all types, from fancy to not so fancy, those interested approached them to order whatever would suit their choice when it came to a meal, and went back to their seats with cold, warm or hot beverages, the price added onto the receipt after announcing that they've finished eating
luckily for Taehyung, Mrs. Kim used to work in the place for several years before her body said no more, giving up on the 5 year contract that the restaurant held, she was almost done with her duty here, but the stars didn't line up correctly this time, scaring her over the fact that their financial state wasn't the greatest, but the boy's father had their backs covered, although being away from his family was heart shattering, he owed them a lot, paying for her medical treatment and Taehyung's entrance to college didn't really sum up just how much he willingly wanted to do for either of them
"hey" he greeted, eyes landing on the person behind the counter gawking over the small device being held by their hands "an orange juice please, add a lot of ice and a--uh, set of cookies for myself?"
the boy behind the counter nodded their head rapidly before removing their weight off of the stool they had previously sat on, moving towards the machines that held delicious flavors within a big, plastic and rectangular box, Taehyung admired the many bright colors being displayed right in front of him, not acknowledging the person moving from one side of the area to another retrieving his order
"orange juice with a lot of ice, a set of cookies and since it is a special day, a free chocolate bar" Taehyung slowly picked out of his black jeans a set of dollars, the exact price of what he ordered engraved in his mind as this wasn't the first time he'd come and order the same thing, which he mentally thought about and found weird how the person tending to him didn't know what he was here for, after being a customer for over 4 years "thanks for coming, we will await for your return soon"
they must be new, but whatever
he wandered on and on over why for the first time in almost half a decade he'd spit out the order everyone knew by now, without having to realize that yes, it was a newbie being tested under the categories of skill and attitude, hence the nice remark by the end of his service, but the boy, who had a strong grip on what he was carrying back home, with his head cocked down and eyes on his feet, not really payed that much attention to any of it as he exited the restaurant
.
"guess who's back!" he yelled as he entered the domain that was his cozy and warm home, closing the door without slamming it shut on his left hand as he tried to balance himself while taking his shoes off, leaving them messily one on top of the other right beside a small white drawer his mother had bought to place the car keys on "and guess what do i have in my hand!" he finished, walking towards the kitchen, placing two bags and the beverage holder in which the orange delicacy remained intact for it to not tip over on the counter "it's your favorite thing in the world"
Taehyung expected his mother to come running and clash onto him with an inescapable hug, to then squeak over his purchases, but none of it had happened yet and it worried him beyond belief "mom?" his lips were trembling at this point, loosing the tint of pink that they wore to be almost as pale as his face "mom!"
he rushed towards the place where Mrs. Kim would usually lock herself in, her working studio, he ran past a bathroom, a closet, the laundry room "this isn't funny, where are you!?" his breathing was frantic by now, hoping that she wasn't in a critical nor horrific state that would traumatize him
please be fine please be fine
the door to the working studio was locked, keys remained untouched while hanging from the wall dangling over a small gust of wind that traveled through the hallway from time to time, if she wasn't there, she had to be upstairs, but to not waste any more time, the boy finally used the new smartphone safely hidden in his back pocket, dialing the woman's number hoping for her to pick up immediately
"hello? are you okay?" on the other line, Mrs. Kim could be heard shuffling around and giggling "talk to me, where are you.."
"i am home sweetie, come upstairs and you'll see!" she hung up right after finishing her sentence, Taehyung's lungs inhaling and exhaling dramatically as he made his way up the white stairs to then stand in front of the guardian angel he'd call mom "hello, i have a surprise for you but! before getting to see what it is all about, let me walk away and towards my precious drink, thank you babe" she pecked his right temple after rushing all the way back down, his lips slowly curving, a smile he didn't know he'd be sharing to no one in specific overshadowing the rest of his features
"this better be good mom, this better be good"
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