Jimin ignored the messages flying into his phone, eventually just putting it on mute and do not disturb. He dropped the phone into the bottom of his bag and settled back, a fresh cup of tea steaming in front of him.
His eyes never left the young lady seated at the piano. He watched as she lost herself in the music. At times he almost felt like he was caught up in the emotions of the music pouring through her fingers. When a song would end, he would breathe deep, realizing how much he hadn't been breathing throughout the entire song. Up to this point he had only heard her for short periods of time. Tonight, however, he had been able to enjoy her entire session. He loved it.
He finished off the next cup just as Nari finished playing. He watched her place the red felt over the keys and with a deep breath she stood up from the bench, shuffling her shoulders around a bit. He set his cup down with a soft clink and quickly stood from the seat, grabbing his stuff. There was no way he was going to let her back out and shove him away. He had a golden opportunity in front of him and he wanted to grab ahold of it tightly.
"You really waited," she said with a giggle as he approached her.
"I said I would. What do you need to do to go home?" As he spoke, nature made its presence known and he suddenly remembered how many cups of tea he had drank. His eyes darted around the small cafe as he looked for a restroom sign anywhere.
Nari saw the sudden panic spread over his face and how he was looking around. "I have to grab my coat and bag and say goodbye to my coworkers. So, I'll be just a couple of minutes. Also, the restroom is directly behind you and down that little hallway." She giggled as relief washed over his face and he smiled broadly.
"You're psychic," he muttered, before nodding and then quickly jogging in the direction she indicated.
Nari shook her head with a smile and turned to collect her things and tell Minnie goodnight.
"All done for tonight?" asked Jun, coming out from the back of the counter, Nari's coat and bag in his hands.
"Yep! I'm heading home. Just going to go tell Minnie bye. Are those mine?!" She was surprised he thought to bring them to her.
"She's already left for the night. She had a meeting or something, and yes, these are yours," Jun smiled sweetly and held the items out to her and Nari couldn't help but smile in return as she took them. "Are you heading home?"
Nari nodded and then looked behind her to see if Jimin was coming. He still hadn't emerged from the restroom yet. She turned back with an airy sigh and set her bag down so she could put on her coat.
"Here, let me help," said Jun softly, taking her coat from her and holding it up so she could slip her arms in.
Nari smiled and put her back to him and slid her arms into the sleeves. She felt awkward but it was nice to be doted on a little if she were to be perfectly honest.
A pair of narrow eyes watched the happening and a deep frown settled on Jimin's face. He quickly dispatched it away from his face and put a brave smile on instead. With a deep breath, he quickly made his way over to Nari and Jun. "Okay. All done. Ready to go?" he asked Nari with a wide smile. He intentionally avoided eye contact with the other man and smoothly leaned down to grab Nari's bag off of the floor. He slung it up over his shoulder and watched as she smiled shyly while tucking some hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, just a second." The two men stood in awkward silence as Nari wrapped her scarf around her neck and slid her matching beanie over her hair.
Jun eyed Jimin carefully, taking note of the fact the other man seemed to be purposely avoiding eye contact with him. "So what do you do for a living Jimin?"
Jimin thought for a split second before deciding to be honest. "I'm an idol," he answered smugly with a smile.
Jun's eyebrows shot up and he hummed his amazement. "An idol, hm? What group? Wait, do you have a group? Which company? SM? JYP? YG?"
"Big Hit," answered Jimin, a soft sigh accompanying his answer.
Nari felt the tension go up at least ten levels. She tried to interrupt. "Hey Ji-"
"What kind of company is that? I've never heard of it," said Jun, now turning to face his perceived opponent.
"Ju-"
"It's an entertainment company. A good one at that." Jimin turned his body as well and the two seemed to be in a sort of standoff.
"Must be small..."
"Jimin, really I ne-"
"It is. But as the saying goes, good things come in small packages," said Jimin confidently, the irony of Jun being taller than him was not lost on him at all.
Jun's eyebrows raised and then went back down. "Is that so? I guess that explains why Nari is such an amazing girl," he said, his eyes not leaving Jimin's.
"Wait a minute," said Nari indignantly. "Are you calling me small?" She looked at Jun in disappointed amazement.
"She's not small," argued Jimin. "She's perfect." He felt his face heat up and knew he was blushing. He mentally groaned as he figured Jun would think he was now weak.
"My dad always calls me funsized," mumbled Nari, eyes shifting to the side.
"She is perfect. Which means you better not ruin this perfection," said Jun, his teeth staying clenched together, the muscle in his jaw working overtime.
"What makes you think I would ruin it?" murmured Jimin, now feeling angry.
"Idols are all the same. Entitled, spoiled brats," said Jun, his teeth finally separating themselves. "Womanizers..."
Nari couldn't believe her ears. She had never heard Jun sound so dark and irritated. Now he was resorting to namecalling and it really surprised her. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two seething men. She needed to get Jimin out of here quick.
"Excuse me?" Jimin's brow furrowed and his face became covered in an expression of disbelief. "Womanizers? Where is this accusation coming from?" he asked quietly.
"All idols flirt and lead women and girls on. It's all a fantasy. You give them false hope." Jun's expression increased in anger.
Jimin felt a hand on his arm and he snapped his eyes down to it and then up to the small girl next to him who was smiling softly.
"Jimin, would it be okay if we go? I'm going to miss my bus." Nari smiled and tried to speak in a soothing voice to help diffuse the potentially inflammatory atmosphere.
Jimin blinked a bit as he looked into her eyes. He knew he needed to walk away. "Sure," he said softly.
Nari smiled at Jun. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Jun?"
Jun looked at her for a split second before jerking his angry gaze towards Jimin. "Sure," he mumbled, spinning on his heel and leaving the area.
Jimin felt his heart racing after the small altercation. What had even happened? What had he done to incur the wrath of barista boy? He glanced over at Nari as the two of them walked down the street towards the bus stop. He felt bad. He had shown poor character back there. He allowed himself to be instigated to anger and if she hadn't stepped in, he didn't know what would have happened. What he did know was that this Jun guy, in all his tall, muscular glory, was no one to be trifled with. He had better mind his manners next time.
"Jimin, what happened back there?" asked Nari.
"I don't know," mumbled Jimin. "I think it's just a guy thing." The truth was, he felt it had something to do with the fact he was walking Nari home and not Jun. He smiled smugly behind his face mask as he thought of how Jun must now know how he felt. He must understand the jealousy.
"Well, in the future, please don't let me be the reason you guys fight. He's a good guy. He means well. He's my friend." Nari walked on beside Jimin, the colder night air making their breath come out in small white clouds.
"We may be your friends, Nari, but we're men," said Jimin softly, feeling shy all of a sudden.
Nari ignored what he was implying. She didn't want to get caught up in some love triangle. Plus, who would be interested in her? It was a ridiculous thought. She could list off a dozen reasons why she considered herself unattractive to the opposite sex.
"Nari," said Jimin, his voice barely above a whisper. He had to step closer to her just to be heard above the traffic. "While I'm happy being your friend, I do want to learn more about you. However, I can't say being just your friend is all I want." He kept his head down and his eyes turned from her face.
Nari felt shocked and froze in place for a moment before quickly catching up to him. "I don't know what you're saying exactly, Jimin."
Jimin cleared his throat and smiled behind his mask, his eyes almost disappearing. "Nevermind. Where's your bus stop?"
Nari was soon distracted by searching for her stop. When they reached it, Jimin suddenly excused himself, apologizing for not fulfilling his commitment. Nari watching him rush away after she sat down on the bus. She felt confused. Did he just tell her he was interested in her, just not in so many words?
* * *
Jimin hurried away from the bus, aggravated at himself. He had been caught up in the moment and because he had been sparring with Jun, he opened his mouth and said something he shouldn't have. He clenched his fists together as he stalked down the street.
Why did he let himself get so triggered by that Jun guy? Was he really that jealous? It's a good thing they had a tour coming up. It would help take his mind off things and maybe he could sort out his real feelings while BTS travelled the world.
The tour!
He yanked his phone from his pocket and groaned as he saw twenty messages from Namjoon asking his whereabouts and informing him there was an impromptu meeting that began an hour ago.
Jimin quickly called his manager and told him he was getting a taxi to head back to the company and that he would be there soon. He rushed out to the curb and flagged one down, quickly jumping into the backseat.
As he rode back to the company, he stared out the window. He had a lot of things to apologize for to a lot of people. His members were evidently worried about him. Taehyung had sent a whole book of messages expressing his worry for Jimin. His manager had tried to contact him and even Jungkook had sent one or two messages asking where he was.
He had been stupid to just skip out like he did, knowing a tour was coming up and practice was imperative. He mentally prepared himself for the onslaught he was sure to face as soon as he arrived.
* * *
The practice room door opened and Jimin sheepishly slid into the room, silently placing his bag and coat in the corner. The silence in the room was deafening. He looked up to see all the members now facing him, their faces clearly worried.
Yoongi walked right up to him and grabbed him into a tight hug. "Mini, we were worried. Where have you been?" he whispered.
"I-"
"JIMIN-AH," exclaimed Taehyung, throwing himself onto his friend, knocking Yoongi to the side. Yoongi grumbled and stalked back off to his place on the dance floor. Taehyung grabbed both sides of Jimin's head and laid his forehead against it. "I was so scared something had happened to you."
Jimin smiled and shook his head. "I went to see a friend. I forgot I put my phone on silent earlier," he said lying a bit.
"You missed an important meeting," said Namjoon lowly. "I hope this friend was worth all the worry and anxiety you put us through," he said in a low, warning tone.
Jimin swallowed hard and looked down, nodding his head slowly. "I'm sorry, everyone. Namjoon Hyung, can you tell me what the meeting was about after practice is over?" asked Jimin softly. In all honesty, the last thing he wanted to do was be alone in a room with an agitated Namjoon. However, it was an important meeting and he needed to know about it.
He ran a hand through his hair. He had to shape up or he might be shipped out. He couldn't let his cluttered mind ruin this practice or the next. He closed his eyes and after taking a deep breath he found his place in the formation and the group began their practice, no one else saying much of anything the whole night.