Taehyung
Taehyung had to get a job. It wasn't just an option now, but a need. He didn't have money to buy the next week's grocery anymore and as much as he wanted to ask help from Yoongi, he knew that Yoongi would tell him the same thing. To look for work.
So, taking out the most recent newspaper- and the flyers that come along with it, he started to look for a job.
°°°°°
He found a flyer about a personalised art shop looking for a worker. The good thing was that it was over in the next city- eliminating the possibility of someone from his school catching him work.
The only problem that was left to think about was transportation. As the shop was the next city over, he obviously couldn't just walk from his apartment block to the place. He couldn't take a cab either for obvious reasons.
Taehyung gets up from his bed, along with the flyer and goes to his mother's room.
Knocking twice, he hears a faint come in and he walks inside. His mother is reading a book, on her wheelchair- perched beside the small window in her room which has sunlight streaming from it. The view isn't as good- it's of the drainage area and if you open the window- the smell that would come would make sure that your nose stops working for at least a year or so.
Their apartment was nothing short of a dumpster.
"What happened?" His mother asks, voice a bit stern.
"Um...I looked for a job. And found one. But it's in the next city". Taehyung expects his mother to smile at him and tell him how proud of him she is, but she just raises an eyebrow.
"The next city? Why not here? It's more convenient here".
"But...my friends might see me working".
His mother sighs. "I have no idea what to do with you. God. Okay. At least you found a job. But how on earth are you supposed to go there?"
"Yoongi...?"
"Nope. That boy is not your driver. Driving you to school is one thing, but dropping you off at work the next city over just because of your ego- absolutely not. That kind boy has done enough for us. You can...you can take the bus".
Taehyung frowns. The idea had come to his head. "But the money?"
Wheeling her chair towards the old wooden cupboard, his mother opens a built in drawer and takes out a steel box.
"I swear, if you don't get the job- we are going to die starving". Mother hands him a couple of money bills. "That's enough for a ticket to and fro. Kindly don't lose it. When are you going to go?"
Taehyung shrugs. "Next week? Not right now, Jackson has a pool party in his house this evening".
"Next week? What for? You are going to go today itself. You will have lunch and leave. I am sure missing one pool party won't make you die".
"But it's a Saturday!"
"Well, we can't afford Saturdays! Now go set the table, I will see if there are any leftovers left from what Mrs Min brought us last time".
°°°
After lunch, I reluctantly put on some joggers and a plain white hoodie, grab the bus ticket money and get ready to leave.
"Tae, you are ready?"
Taehyung nods.
His mother had shifted her reading to the living room now. Seeing her eyes bright- happy that her son was finally going to work- Taehyung realises just how much he loved his mother.
"I am so proud of you, sweetie- you are finally growing up. I am sure you will get the job, all the best". His mother leaves a kiss on Taehyung's forehead.
"Thank you, mom. Love you, bye". Taehyung gets out of the house.
He could not believe he will be working. Working on a Saturday. Was that even legal?
He walks to the nearest bus stop and ten minutes later, a red bus pulls over which will be travelling to the next city. After paying for the ticket, Taehyung takes a seat at the back- pulling the hoodie over his head so that it partially covers his face- in case if anyone he knows sees him through the bus window or something.
Public bus? Ew.
After a couple of stops, which seemed like ages, Taehyung finally gets dropped near the requested avenue- which was clustered with shops and cafes.
This city was slightly less developed than his own, even if it was just next to it.
Taehyung looks at the flyer in his hand- Park Your Art.
That was the shop's name. Taehyung figured that he would like the shop, seeing that it was something art related.
He slowly starts walking, observing the people around him. It was the artist's eye in him that liked to observe.
He wished he could whip out a paintbrush and paint the different kinds of people doing different things, yet all of them being so together. Coexisting.
Taehyung finally spots Park Your Art inbetween a salon and a laundromat.
He sees the caramel-orangish lighting of the shop from the glass outside and he opens the door, wind chimes above tingling.
A Korean lady- expected, of course- comes out from behind a shelf. Her dark blue hair is tied up in a messy bun and she looks like one of those hipster ladies whose age must be around 40 but act as if they are in their twenties. They are usually fun but sometimes a bit too extra.
"Yes, dear? What would you like?" The lady asks, coming straight to the point.
Taehyung shows her the flyer. "I was looking for a job-".
"Oh, finally someone has come! I thought all the flyers had disappeared. In fact, I was ready to go and threaten the newspaper dispatch about my flyers. Now, I don't think you have ever been to this shop before? My memory is good". The lady takes the flyer and holds it tenderly, as if it was a child and not a piece of paper.
"No, I have never come to this shop. I actually am not from this city- the next one".
"Oh, my nephew lives there too! And his friend. Both are sweethearts. Anyways, as you can see- this is a shop which contains craft and art materials along with extra products like notebooks and pens. And soft toys. Don't ask me why. I did all of the work here but now that you have come- you can help assist the customers and do the arranging of products while I handle the cash counter. Okay?"
Taehyung nods.
That was so much work! Wasn't this slavery? Are 17 year olds even supposed to do work? Isn't this the age to lie around in your room drinking a beer and....going to Jackson's pool party?
"Good. Now, most of our customers are teenagers who either have an interest in art or come from the nearby community college. We don't have many during the weekend so you can go to the storeroom and start unpacking the cardboard boxes. There are canvases, ceramic pots and notebooks. Be careful with the pots. Start arranging them in the shelves and make sure each already has a price sticker. Am I clear?"
Taehyung nods again. He wasn't going to waste his energy saying yes or no.
"Cool. You can start while I take care of the accounts. Oh, about the money. Do you need an advance? If you do, make sure you don't suddenly leave after it".
"Yes, I would need the money in advance and no, I can assure you I won't leave any time soon. I am in desperate need of money right now". Taehyung says, hoping the lady will be alright with it.
"Oh, of course then! You will get the money! End of the shift, okay? You can start working now". The lady- whose name Taehyung didn't know yet- claps her hands, smiling and goes to the desk to work.
Taehyung finds a small backdoor at the corner of the shop and decides that it is the storeroom.
The shop, like seen from outside, had a yellow-orangish aesthetic to it and though it was small- it was also quite attractive. It was the kind of shop you visited at least once, whether you had to buy anything or not.
He looks at the various paintbrushes of different sizes and quality stacked inside vases and how he wishes he could buy some. This shop was everything Taehyung wanted- paint, canvases. It was comfort and though Taehyung wasn't excited to work- he didn't mind the place as much.
In the storeroom- he spots a box labelled as fragile and figures it would be the ceramic pots the lady was talking about.
Dragging the box near a shelf that housed other pots and vases- he looks around for a scissor (which he finds in the storeroom itself), cuts open the box and looks at the ceramic products in minimalist designs and in pastel shades.
Taking each one of them out carefully, he starts to arrange colour and size wise. Once he reaches the fifth one- and there were about twenty more- Taehyung is already tired, never having done much work in his entire life. Bending down and getting back up was too much effort and he already wanted to ask for a break.
He wished he could just have gotten the job of handling the cash counter while sitting on a stool but obviously the lady wouldn't give the nicer job to Taehyung.
Cursing, he bends down again and resumes his work. At least the AC was on. His own house didn't even have that.
Done with the ceramic, Taehyung sees the wrapped canvases in the room- piled up on each other. Lifting one up, he goes towards the side of the shop where canvases were resting against the wall. He keeps it down, making sure as to not drop the other canvases nearby.
After four rounds, only one huge canvas is left. Lifting it up with all the strength he can muster- it wasn't that heavy to begin with but Taehyung had a habit of exaggerating when it came to work- he starts walking towards the wall.
The wind chimes tingle, signalling someone has entered the shop. Angling his head to see who it is, Taehyung is shocked to find Kim Seokjin looking at him with the same expression on his face.
The canvas in Taehyung's hands falls down on Taehyung's foot and he curses in pain- again, exaggeration.
"Taehyung? Is that- what are you doing here?"
Shit, shit. This wasn't supposed to happen.
What the hell was Kim Seokjin doing here? For fuck's sake, this shop was the next city over!
And he is pretty sure Rich Boy didn't need a desperate job as Taehyung did. Out of all the people from his school- a wimp or a junior or a girl would have been easy to shut up- but no, the second most popular boy had to come.
He looks behind to see if the lady is anywhere near and then turns to Jin, who is still looking at him with a baffled expression- his blonde hair smooth. Taehyung's own red hair must be sweaty, even in the AC.
"Um- I, this...uh, this store belongs to me. My family. Yeah". Taehyung mutters, trying to sound convincing.
Jin raises an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes. This is one of the many other shops my family owns". Lies come easy to Taehyung, he is used to it.
Jin is about to say something when a squeal comes from behind Taehyung. The lady has gotten up and rushes to give Jin a hug.
Is that the way to greet customers here?
"Jin! It's been a week since I last saw you! What brings you here? Stitching materials or... cloth patches? And where is the shortie?"
Taehyung's mouth falls open. The lady knew Jin? Fuck.
"Yes, cloth patches. And Jimin has gone out with his family. How are you, Aunt Park?" Jin replies, coming out of the hug.
Park. Shit, how could Taehyung have been so dumb? Of course the lady's nephew was Park Jimin.
"I am good, I am good. Oh and have you met this guy? Taehyung. He just joined work today- I told you right, I needed help? Poor boy was tight on money" Aunt Park says and then looks at the fallen canvas.
"Ah, was the canvas heavy for you Taehyung? Come on, Jin help him. I will come to you in some time, I am currently calculating some heavy stuff and I gotta complete it soon". Aunt Park goes back to her desk.
He is doomed, Taehyung thinks. Now Jin knew of his financial condition and he will spread it to the entire school.
And then people will start teasing Taehyung, making fun of him. His entire life- or at least, the two months that were left in high school would be ruined.
Jin doesn't say anything but picks up the canvas, urging Taehyung to take the other side.
Taehyung quickly takes it and they start walking towards the wall. Putting it down, Jin mutters- "It wasn't even heavy".
Taehyung rolls his eyes.
What was he supposed to do now? Threaten Jin to not tell anyone about this?
He hears Jin say something.
"What?"
"I said", Jin repeats, his voice a bit shy. "Is there anything else I can help you with? In unpacking?"
Taehyung opens his mouth- to say; what the fuck or don't you dare tell anyone this or aren't you judging me now?- but finally, he just nods and leads Jin to the storeroom.
.
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A/N:
A kinda long update! Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments and votes.
Love you all!!
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