Is This Love? || Vminkook ||

Chapter 23

Jimin sighs loudly as he sat in his dad's office. His parents had just left for a meeting across town, leaving their son to finish the paperwork arrangements for the town's anniversary that will be happening in a month's time.

He spins on the swirly chair, completely bored out of his mind when a knock comes at the door. Quickly, Jimin pretends to be busy at work, holding his pen the wrong way round as he scribbling down fake notes.

Mi-jung walks in, giggling lightly at how silly Jimin looks. "You do know the pen is the wrong way round." She points out, making the boy's ears flare the colour red. "Right," he mumbles, placing the pen down.

"So...how's school been going?" Mi-jung asks, taking a seat down on the chair in front of the desk. Jimin shrugs, he wasn't really sure whether to talk about Taehyung and Jungkook or not. He was kind of confused as to where his feelings lie. 'Do I like them? Or just as friends??'

While busy debating over his choice of words, Mi-jung's phone rings in her pocket. She takes it out with slightly shaken hands that didn't go unnoticed by Jimin. He watches with concern as Mi-jung answers the phone call.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm at work." She pauses, allowing whoever it was, to speak. "I know but..." the person only seems to gets louder, cutting her completely off while sounding like they're shouting on the other side. This caused Jimin to sit upright more, becoming more aware of things.

The way her voice quivers, her orbs flickering like she searching around for something, how her hands tremble with fear. 'She's afraid.' He told himself. 'She's afraid of whoever it is that's speaking to her.'

"I can't talk right now..." she whispers, taking a brief glance towards Jimin who didn't even attempt to conceal his beating gaze. "I know...okay, I'm sorry. Yeah okay, I l-love you too. B-bye." Hearing the word 'love' made Jimin's heart sink ever so slightly. 'Who was she talking to?'

Mi-jung awkwardly laughs, putting her phone back into her pocket. "So? School?" She asks again, trying her best to avoid any curious questions.

Jimin sat there with his lips sealed for a moment. "Is everything alright noona?" He interrogates, observing every twitchy movement she made. He knew she was hiding something...something serious.

"You know Jimin, I think it's about time I-" she gets up from the chair, attempting to leave when Jimin cuts in. "-No noona!" He barks, surprising the older. He gets up from his seat, walking round to stand in front of her. "Please noona, please I know there's something wrong." He whispers, clasping her hands in his.

She bites down on her bottom lip, looking down at their locked hands which made Jimin suddenly realise what he's doing and blush crimson red. Yet he doesn't attempt to remove them.

This made Mi-jung worry. She didn't want Jimin involved with her messy issues nor did she want anyone to know. She slowly slips her hands out of his clutch, "I'm sorry Jimin, my break is almost over. I have to go." And with that, she runs out, leaving the pastel haired boy behind in a state of bewildering worry.
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Taehyung tiredly stood behind the counter. He was at his Saturday job, bored out of his mind since the shop was practically empty.

He whistles quietly, tapping his fingers against the surface while looking around at nothing in particular. He didn't have anything to do so he attempted to keep himself busy by humming and cleaning the counter.

However, the bell over the door soon rings, informing Taehyung that a customer has arrived. He straights his posture, putting on that big bright smile he always wears to conceal his true emotions. "Hello, how may I help-Hoseok hyung?" Taehyung interrupts himself, shocked to see the elder at his place of work.

This was the second time now that Hoseok had visited Taehyung's job. Though, the first time was merely a coincidence. But this time was different, he came to fully speak with Taehyung without any interruptions.

"Can we talk?" He asks the younger, hoping that Taehyung might allow him to explain from his point of view about everything. Taehyung glances around the empty coffee shop before nodding. He leads Hoseok over to a table close to the counter just incase someone walks in, wanting to be served.

Once seated, a sense of awkwardness fills the air. Hoseok was too busy staring down at his clasp hands while Taehyung stiffly kept glancing around the room. He tried to keep his gaze elsewhere, not wanting to make the situation worse.

"Taehyung..." Hoseok trails off, finally lifting his orbs to meet with Taehyung's. He found them to be quite pretty, how they glowed happily even when the younger was going through the toughest of times. Hoseok actually had to look away again to stop himself from gawking too long. "I-uh, first I want to apologise for what happened last time. I understand that it must have been a little...confusing."

The young junior stares at the blonde headed male before chewing on his lower lip, "it's okay hyung." Taehyung confesses with a smile, though he was a little invested into what happened to Hoseok and Jimin in the past.

He didn't want to particularly force the older to tell him if he wasn't comfortable. Yet, the inquisitiveness was still burning inside, begging for him to ask Hoseok for his side of the story. 'Why did Jimin get so upset at the mere sight of him?'

Hoseok drums the tips of his fingers against the surface of the table, concreting hard on them to the point his dark brows wrinkle. Taehyung's eyes stare on at him for a while, waiting to find out what his hyung might say next.

"Jimin, like you know is my ex-boyfriend. We broke up a few months ago." He announces, refusing to glance up at Taehyung, who now wore a puzzled expression upon his face. "Why?"

This question was hard to explain, especially to the other. "I guess you can say I fell out of love with him." Hoseok felt incredibly guilty to admit this.

"So you don't like him?" A frowning Taehyung wonders aloud, slightly dejected at the thought that the two will never be friendly towards one another ever again.

"It's not like I hate him," Hoseok gazes away while scratching at his inner right forearm. "But?" The younger attempts to help make the senior continue. "But, I know I don't love him anymore." His eyes finally meet with the red head's ones. Taehyung could see the sincerity yet pain forming deep within his pupils.

"I guess Jimin didn't take the breakup very well." Taehyung mumbles as he detaches away from the other's intense stare. It made the scarlet headed teen sad that he couldn't help the pair reconnect again, even if its just a friendship yet he knows better than to poke his nose in other peoples' business.

Hoseok does nothing but awkwardly pulls one corner of his lips upwards before it falls back into a straight line again. "Yeah, he really didn't."

Not much was spoke about it after that, only the odd chat here and there. Taehyung made sure that Hoseok knew he still wanted to be friends and that he will be there for him, but at the same time he was also going to stay friends with Jimin too.

The elder understood and thanked Taehyung for continuing his friendship with him despite being the ex of one of his friends.