“Why don’t we go to sit at the bar? To chat with Kook and Joon, hmm?” Hoseok suggested after some time of his friend’s arrival.

“Yeah, cool,” Yoongi agreed with a nod, and once they took their drinks and belongings, they moved to the bar.

“My boys.” The cherry-haired boy gave each one a high five, a grin decorating his lips.

“How’s it going, Kook? Screwed up anything yet?” Yoongi teased with a snicker.

“Come on, I’m a pro. Our other boy, though...” He shot a glance at Namjoon who was oblivious to the mockery he was about to receive right in front of him. “He knocked over a few things as usual.”

“Yah! I said I’m sorry.” Namjoon wasn’t stupid — of course he realized he was talking about him.

“We love you, Joonie,” the youngest of the three said in a sweet, sing-song tone, eliciting a snort from Namjoon and chuckles from the other two.

“The place is way better than before, though. It was worth all the money he spent on it.” Hoseok took another look around, enjoying the cozy, warm feeling the cafe was radiating.

“Yeah, it was a good call.” Yoongi nodded as he grabbed a glass of water and gulped half of it down.

“Um, I’m—I’m sorry, that was my water?”

“Oh, shit, sorry about that.” Yoongi bowed his head as an apology. “Kook, get him another one.”

“It’s okay.” Jimin tittered, glancing away.

“Dude, you just indirectly kissed someone else’s boyfriend,” Jeongguk sneered as he placed another glass of water in front of the boy.

“What? I don’t have a boyfriend!”

“What about Taehyung then?”

“What about me?” the said boy emerged from behind and asked with a scowl.

“Hey, Taehyung. We moved from our table,” Hoseok said in a perky tone while giving him a grin and a small wave.

“Oh, okay.” Taehyung mildly chuckled and returned his gaze to the cherry-haired barista.

“Okay, just to make things clear, Taehyung and I are friends only. I’m super single.” Jimin peeped at the male who drank his water before, feeling his cheeks bloom with a rosy color.

“You guys didn’t deny it, though,” the younger one murmured, not meant for anyone to hear, but a certain boy did.

“I didn’t say anything because Kang Joon is mean to me, okay? And I knew he would make me feel like shit if I said something. And it’s not your business, anyway. And where is the coffee for table twenty-eight?” He slapped his hand against the counter at last, frustration smoldering inside him.

“Shit,” Jeongguk breathed out, shutting his eyes.

“You haven’t made it yet?”

“I have! I mean, I-I am right now.” The barista sighed in despair, cursing himself internally for forgetting Taehyung’s order.

“Jeongguk... Forget it.” The frustrated boy with the pouty face was ready to leave when Jimin seized his hand.

“Taetae, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, but it’s not his ass at stake here, it’s mine. They always blame the servers for the wait,” Taehyung said in a hushed tone, not wanting the others to hear him, but all four of them did.

“Offer them some extra cupcakes and apologize for the wait. That always works.” Hoseok offered him a reassuring smile, making the other smile as well.

Although he just met the server a few hours ago, Jeongguk felt a prick of pain rip through him when he heard Taehyung’s whisper. The last thing he wanted was to get a new employee in trouble.

He made the coffee in record time and put it on the counter, but when Taehyung reached for it, it slipped his shaky hand and spilled all over the counter.

“This is not happening to me.” Taehyung really felt like crying at that moment. He started wiping around, his breath coming in short puffs as he strove to dam up his emotions.

“Who spilled this?” A resonant, strict voice caused the four boys to halt their movements and Taehyung quiver like a leaf.

“I did, Mr. Ji. And I’ll make another coffee right now.”

The older man clicked his tongue, a sigh leaving his lips. “Come on, Jeongguk. Focus.”

“Yes, Mr. Ji,” Jeongguk said, and the boss took off to supervise the other baristas.

It was dead silent as Jeongguk was making the coffee. The three boys had their gaze fixated on their drinks, and Taehyung bored holes into the younger’s back with his tearful eyes. He couldn't believe he took all the blame without a second thought and didn’t even scold him.

Once another coffee was placed on the server's tray, Taehyung peeked at him, tentative. “T-thank you.”

“Just go.”

A single tear trickled down Taehyung’s cheek, but he wiped it at light speed as he grabbed the tray and headed to the customer.

“He’s having a hard time, huh?” Jimin glanced over his shoulder at his friend, who was still walking away.

“Yes. So you’re his friend?”

“Yeah, since high school.”

“Is he always so sensitive?”

“He’s not sensitive. He’s just... overwhelmed.”

“With what?”

Jimin paused, a sad smile etching on his lips as he looked at the barista with a gaze he couldn’t comprehend. “With life.”

The cherry-haired boy seemed confused at his vague response, but didn’t have time to question him as Inhyuk brought him another order. “Well, these are my friends, Yoongi and Hoseok. Feel free to chat with them.”

“I’m Jimin,” he muttered as he shifted in his seat, not daring to meet their gaze. “But don’t feel obligated to talk to me. I’m just here to support Taetae.”

“We don’t feel obligated, don’t worry. You’re a better company than this assface here, I can tell.” Yoongi nodded his head to Jeongguk’s direction, making the two of them giggle and the younger ‘yah’ him.

 
Taehyung pulled through the rest of his shift without embarrassing or frustrating moments. He didn’t talk to Jeongguk about what happened. He only gave him orders when Namjoon was busy, and he executed them.

He didn’t even change his shirt when he finished his shift — he collected his things and slipped his jacket on as he didn’t have any physical or emotional strength anymore.

When he was ready to leave, Dohwan appeared in front of him, cutting his way. With a kind smile, he escorted him to Chang Wook’s office. Taehyung knew what was coming, and he really didn’t want to hear it. But he did.

“Taehyung, we’re sorry, but you can’t be a part of our team. We asked around about you as we did for every new employee and you made some mistakes today. We can’t—“

“That doesn’t mean we have to throw him out,” Dohwan mumbled, earning a death glare from the older.

“Mr. Ji, please, I can—I can work harder. I really need this job.” His voice cracked, his desperation shining through his eyes.

“Sorry, Taehyung. You can go now.”

The wretched boy clenched his quivery hands into fists as tears overflowed his eyes. He bowed to the two with the minimum strength he had left and slouched off, not making eye contact with anyone as he passed by the bar.

The moment he was out of there, he released all the sadness and frustration he had corked through those ten hours with countless tears.

Not even thinking about checking the timetable for the bus, he started plodding towards the subway station, wallowed in his misery.

He felt an inflictive void swim across every inch of his body, tears coursing down his face as he kept a glassy expression. His steps were fragile and ponderous, his hunched posture matching with the sorrow that had nestled against his heart.

He didn’t know if he was crying anymore, he didn’t know for how long he had been walking, he couldn’t feel anything.

He also didn’t realize that a car stopped beside him until the driver honked the horn. A small squeal spewed out of his mouth as he jolted back, his hands drawing up to protect his head on instinct.

He glimpsed through his blurred vision into the car and heaved a sigh as he slowly lowered his hands. “J-Jeongguk?”

“Where are you going at this hour alone?”

“Home.”

“Obviously, but where are you going? Why are you walking?”

“I’m going to the subway.”

Jeongguk’s eyes popped at his answer. Even though he had a car, he knew where the subway was since he was driving by there almost every day for the last two years. “Are you serious? That’s like twenty minutes away from here. And did you really walk until here? That’s another twenty minutes give or take.”

“Jeongguk... I’m really not in the mood to talk, so please leave.” He turned around and continued his way with the same weak, soulless steps.

That was until a stouter figure sprang in front of him, holding a firm hand in the air between them. Jeongguk observed his puffy, bloodshot eyes and felt a flutter of compassion spread through him. “Okay, you don’t have to talk, and I won’t talk to you either if you don’t want me to. But it’s late and dark and the streets around here aren’t so safe. Can I drive you to the subway?”

Taken aback by the offer, Taehyung took a tiny step back. Rarely people were that nice to him, and he couldn’t help but get suspicious. “I-I’ll be okay. I don’t want to...”

“You don’t want me to drive you?”

“No.”

A pout crept over the younger’s lips, brows firmly drawn together. “Why? If it’s about me teasing you before—“

“I just—I don’t trust you. I don’t know you.” Taehyung kept his head down, holding his hands together and feeling his heart thump hard.

“Taehyung, I wonʼt... hurt you if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Jeongguk said, every word hushed and hesitant. “You met my friends today, you know where I work, my full name is Jeon Jeongguk, and I can even tell you my house address. I’m not just a random guy.”

There was a certain amount of logic in Jeongguk’s words, and he felt like an idiot for doubting him so much. But he really couldn’t help it. “Why do you care so much?”

“I told you, it’s late, it’s dark, anything can happen. Aren’t you scared of the dark, Taehyung?”

A doleful smile dangled on the corner of his lips as he lifted his still watery eyes, a faraway look in them. “No. I live every day in it. Why would I be scared of it?”

Jeongguk’s unblinking eyes traveled the world-weary expression painted on his handsome face until they met his sunken gaze. “Let me drive you to the subway. You don’t have to talk, you don’t even have to like me. You can just get in the car, and in ten minutes you’ll be outside of the subway.”

Fingers fiddled with the hem of his jacket as teeth sank into his lower lip. His eyes aimlessly roamed around his figure for a few seconds until he gave him a bashful nod.

His affirmation raised a smile from the younger, and he inched closer to the car to open the door for him.

“T-thank you.” His voice came out in a sough as he felt a flicker of warmth seep into his system at the thoughtful gesture, blanketing his drained nerves.

“You’re welcome.” Jeongguk closed the door with a soft thud and got into the car as well.

As he had stated, the younger stayed silent, not wanting to bother the worn-out boy who went through so much earlier. But his urge to voice out his thoughts itched him to the bone and eventually drove him crazy.

“Can we forget what happened today?” Jeongguk blurted out, unable to restrain himself any longer. “I mean, I’m sorry for teasing you when you were already having a hard time. I didn’t want to be an asshole.” He peeped at him multiple times, restive about his reaction. “Can we... forget?”

“It doesn’t really matter.” Taehyung sighed, gazing out the window. “They fired me.”

“Wh—What?”

“Mr. Ji said they asked around as they do for every new employee and apparently I made some mistakes. So they fired me.”

“Ah, that piece of shit,” Jeongguk said through gritted teeth, his grip on the wheel tightening.

“It’s not Mr. Ji’s fault. I mean, I was a disaster today.”

“I’m not talking about him. That good for nothing shit Kang Joon opened his stupid mouth.”

Taehyung twisted to look at him, confusion written on his face. “What?”

“He was the only one besides me who saw you make a mistake, Taehyung. And I most certainly didn’t rat on you.”

“Thank you, by the way. For saving me,” Taehyung said, offering his last words to the boy he wouldn’t see again as they were near the subway.

“Don’t worry about it.”

They settled in silence until Jeongguk pulled over outside of the subway. He laid his eyes on him, contemplating his features with a soft gaze as Taehyung's words from before kept flitting all around his head. “How is it? Living every day in the dark?”

Taehyung would usually tense up at a profound question such as this, but something about that boy’s honeyed voice, something about his luminous, sweet eyes, and something about his soothing presence, made it impossible for Taehyung not to answer him.

“Sometimes it’s scary, even though so many years have passed. Sometimes it’s okay because so many years have passed.” He let out an almost imperceptible chuckle, not whisking his gaze away from him. “Every day is supposed to be different, but every day has a few things that stay the same. Like the emptiness and the feeling of staying still, no matter what’s happening around you or where you are, you know?”

“No, actually, I don’t.” A half chuckle followed Jeongguk's truthful remark, unable to grasp completely what he meant.

“It’s okay. It’s better if you don’t understand it. It’s not a happy place to be at, anyway.”

“Then why are you staying there?”

Taehyung peeled his gaze away as he nibbled his bottom lip. “That’s the worst part. When it’s not in your hands. When your life is in someone else’s hands and you just have to... cope.”

“You are a mystery, Kim Taehyung.”

“How do you know my full name?” He seemed genuinely surprised at the sudden call of his surname.

“I know everything.” Jeongguk lifted an idle shoulder, plastering a smug expression.

It was the first time in those about ten hours that he saw that angelic-faced boy offer him a simple smile. And to say that he didn’t like it would be a tremendous lie.

“I’m joking, by the way,” Jeongguk uttered. "Your friend may have said some things about you.”

“I’m gonna kill him... What did he say?”

“Chill, he just said that the great Kim Taehyung never gives up. Apparently, you’re his hero.”

Another smile popped up onto Taehyung’s face, and Jeongguk’s stomach did a micro-tiny flip at the sight. “Well, I should get going. Thank you for the ride.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow.”

“They fired me, Jeongguk.”

“Just... go.” He cracked a smile when Taehyung stayed in his place, holding the intense but soft at the same time eye contact.

Neither could comprehend what was written in the air around them and why they didn’t want to take their gaze away from one another. But soon enough, Taehyung felt small flushed circles form on his cheeks from the extended eye contact with that beautiful, godlike human in front of him and timidly glanced down.

“Goodnight, Jeongguk.”

“Goodnight, Taehyung.”

⚜✳⚜