sea-kissed 🌊 || j.jk+k.th

{7} By The Seaside 🌊

It was now noon, and breakfast seemed to have been an eternity ago ; wondering where he could find something to ease his hunger, he remembered the café he had seen the night before. In fact, if he recalled correctly, it was right next to the beach and, indeed, from here he could already spot the distinctive brick and wood textured walls and the huge windows. As he got closer, he could read the sign above the door : it read "By The Seaside Café" -in the prevailing darkness of the night before, he had only been able to make out the letters "BTS".

He stepped in the café, and was immediately struck by the overwhelming smell of... many things, actually : fresh bread, coffee, honey, flowers... The place was heavily decorated with plants of all kinds -hanging terrariums, bouquets in clear vases, potted flowers on the counter...-, and the white furniture made it seem like the room was filled with light. The atmosphere inside had nothing to do with the chilly and windy autumn day outside ; here it was warm, and bright.

He took a seat at the back of the room, a little further away from the chatter at the entrance ; this was the most people he had seen since his arrival at Gimyong the day before. As soon as he sat down, he saw a waiter approaching him with a menu and a smile.

"Well well well, if that isn't the new lifeguard every single client has been telling me about this morning !" The young man exclaimed with a playful tone. "Welcome to the By The Seaside Café !" He continued. "And of course, welcome to Gimyong. Here we have our selection of sets for lunch, our deserts, and on the back here, our drinks. Today, our chef is making parfaits with fresh fruits delivered just this morning ! I highly recommend it."

His enthusiasm made Jungkook smile a little, too. The waiter was probably around his age, but it was hard to tell ; his face and his smile were almost childish, yet his built under the shirt and the apron clashed with the soft gentleness in his eyes. He seemed a little short, too, and his brown hair swept to the side looked healthy and shiny.

Jungkook ordered a plate of pasta and a parfait, and his waiter quickly took the menu away and reappeared with his order, a little while later. But instead of leaving again right away, he asked :

"Do you mind if I sit with you a little ?"

Honestly, Jungkook just wanted to eat his pasta in peace, but he signed for him to sit anyway.

"Won't it bother the customers if you interrupt your shift to sit with me ?" Jungkook asked.

The question seemed amusing to the other man.

"Don't worry, everyone knows me well in here. If they need me all they have to do is yell 'Jimiiiin', and I'll come right up to them." He reassured him with yet another smile.

It was then that Jungkook noticed the white embroidery on his black apron, spelling "By The Seaside" in the center and, smaller, in a corner, his name : 'Jimin'.

"I have no idea why a young city boy like you would choose to move here," Jimin continued, "but it's nice to see a new face. Don't hesitate to come by whenever you want to have lunch or a little chat."

Jungkook nodded.

"Thanks. But how do you know I'm a 'city boy' ?"

"You have pierced ears, no tan, and you smell of cologne. Us peasants of the countryside can't relate," he joked.

Jungkook smiled again.

"Alright. Fair enough."

At that precise moment, a deep "Jimiiiiin daaaaarling" echoed from the other side of the café. Jimin rolled up his eyes with a smile.

"These old men, I swear to God. Well, duty calls. See ya."

And with that, Jimin left Jungkook to finish his meal.

But the parting was short ; Jungkook devoured his lunch in the blink of an eye, and quickly he met again with the waiter at the counter.

"I see that you've enjoyed your meal !"

"Yeah, it was surprisingly delicious. I mean, not that I expected it to be bad, you know, it was, just, very very good."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Jungkook paid for his food, then lowered his voice when he asked :

"Uh, I was wondering, can I use the bathroom here ? There aren't exactly toilets on the beach, and I've spent quite a long time there, so, um..."

There was a slight pause.

"Well, theoretically, it's a staff-only bathroom, but..."

Jimin smiled playfully.

"You're ridiculously cute when you're embarrassed, so I'll make an exception for you. Just don't tell our grumpy chef at the back," he winked.

Jungkook thanked him and sneaked to the back of the café, where Jimin had directed him to. Relieved that he wouldn't have to walk all the way back to the hotel, he opened the door widely and found himself face to face with someone.

That someone was a boy, currently pouring the whole content of a 2-liter bottle of water on his own head.