⊱┊ᴀʀɢᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ ༊*·˚

"Appa~" Minjun runs animatedly out of the group room and almost falls over his own feet, if it were not for Jimin who reacts quickly enough and stops him with his arms. He wraps his arms around the little one and takes him in his embrace, finally kissing him on the cheek. This makes the little one beam all the more. "How was kindergarten today? Are you ready for your first taekwondo lesson?"

Jimin examines him with twinkling eyes and a fond expression, his lips curling into a smile as his son claps his hands together, making Jimin flabbergasted.

Did Jungkook talk to him and influence him after all?

"I'm glad you're happy. Then let's not waste any time. We need to take a little walk there and then take the subway and we are there." Jimin briskly helps Minjun put on his clothes and eventually takes his hand. "Did you say goodbye to the teachers?"

Wide-eyed, he turns around and shakes his head briefly. Jimin follows his motion with a laugh. Apparently, he must have forgotten about his excitement. "Then go quickly. I'll wait here. Not that they're looking for you and think you haven't left yet."

And with that, Minjun disappears into the group room with the purple door he came out of. A little later he comes back with slightly rosy cheeks and a shy look down. He wonders if one of the teachers has said something.

Deciding that they don't have enough time left and Minjun doesn't look sad, he ignores it and they make their way to the nearest subway station to take it for a few stops towards where the Taekwondo school is located. During the whole journey, Minjun sits next to him and looks intently out of the window at the slowly darkening sky, when they were not in the tunnel.

They have to cross a few streets until they arrive at the large building, Jimin watching as Minjun's steps slow down and his excited facial expression morphs into a more anxious one. Jimin tries to calm him down by gently stroking his back and speaking encouraging words.

"It's going to be great, I'm sure, huh? Do you remember what I told you? When you're nervous, take a deep breath in and out."

Jimin tries to remind him what he once taught him because he had such strong stage fright. That day he was in front of a group - or rather, it was a group performance in front of the parents and Minjun had not even been on stage for a minute and little tears had already gathered in his eyes. Jimin chewed nervously on his inner cheek and tried to accompany him through it as best he could because he knew exactly what he was going through.

Arriving at the registration desk, Jimin filled out a few formalities before they could go to the changing rooms where he helped him change into comfortable clothes. For the first few lessons they wouldn't need uniforms yet, as they would be learning the basics, and if Minjun did panic and refuse to continue, Jimin didn't want to risk buying anything if it was useless afterwards.

Jimin sighs as they arrive outside the room, marked "Parents please stay outside to take away the little ones' nervousness."

Minjun is about to walk into the room with Jimin holding his hand, but stops when he notices Jimin has stopped. He would too gladly grant him his wish to come along, but he can't. If the teacher would make an exception, he is sure that other children would want it too.

"I'm afraid I can't come in. I'm afraid I have to stay outside."

"But-"

"I'm sorry. Be strong, okay? You can do this. I know you can, and be nice to the teacher." With his head slightly bowed and his steps hesitant, Minjun strides into the room and sits down on one of the spread-out mats, near the wall. With a sad look, Jimin watches as the door closes and the teacher already starts talking.

"Welcome to my Taekwondo lesson. I can already recognise a brave hero among you and I look forward to working with you. We will surely have a lot of fun. My name is Hana and you can either call me Teacher or Hana-"

He can only pray that Minjun won't have a panic attack or anything similar to that in there. The next hour he has to wait would eventually become a nightmare if he didn't stop worrying about it.

"Park Jimin?"

At his name, the brown-haired man whirls around, almost losing his balance. His eyes meet a very familiar person whom he knows only too well and never liked very much.

"Park Jimin, is that you?"

Meeyon, of course, it had to be her. It's been a little over four years since they last saw each other. Meeyon changed schools after tenth grade.

"What a coincidence."

"Indeed," Jimin says nonchalantly and frowns slightly with a look in his eyes as if he wants to say something else. He doesn't like the tone of her voice at all. This person was never on his 'good friends' list. "What a coincidence, indeed."

They were never very close either. Meeyon was mostly in the popular class circles. It is all the more amusing that she suddenly addresses him. Her once long brown hair is now dyed too blonde, her fake plastic nails scrape along the phone case and her outfit taste hasn't changed a bit in his eyes.

She wears a plaid skirt with a black blazer over it and expensive-looking chains. Apparently, she has it better than she thought at the time. She probably screwed up with someone. Who knows.

"I'm happy to see you're ok. Just as I was coming out of the locker room I saw you talking to a little boy. Sorry to be so nosy. Are you the nanny to this adorable child?" Jimin's eyes narrow on the spot as she asks him with interest in her voice while fluttering her fake eyelashes. In her voice, he can hear that the interest is nothing genuine of sort, but being so rude? For what?

He would like to slap her. Can't she see that Minjun looks like him? The audacity she has!

"You're happy to see I'm doing fine?" Jimin huffs and puts away his phone in his jeans pocket to cross his arms over his chest, holding back from exploding. "Meeyon lets be honest, when have you ever asked me if I'm doing fine? When have we ever talked in school, hm? I don't think that it's any of your concern or business if I am the nanny or if Minjun is my son."

She furrows her brows as Jimin steps closer, attempting to show intimidation with his burning glance from the anger that boils in him. Meeyon ignores his stern glance and moves with her finger a strand of hair from her range of view. "Oh, Jimin. Come on, don't be like that. You're about as intimidating as a butterfly like you were back then in school. How about we meet up this week and let Minjun and my kid get closer. That way they know each other and maybe become friends."

"Oh, yeah? If I want to, I can be intimidating enough to others who want to know who Minjun is to me and who are curious about my private life by having a nice conversation. Also, we never talked. Why should that change now? It's not in my interest to become friends with you so I surely won't agree to meeting up for our kids, forget it."

His words are harsh, he spits them out, but he knows he has to as she can be quite persistent until she gets what she wants. There's this common phrase 'people can change' and Jimin is no one to judge a book by its cover. However, in this situation, it's in his best interest not to become friends with her and get tangled into a spiral of gossiping with her friends behind his back and become the talk of being a father at twenty. But then... Meeyon is only a year older than him.

Horrified and indignant about what he says, Meeyon clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Stuck up, I see..."

Jimin lifts a brow. "What was that?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head and adds with a shrug. "I had my suspicions, but until now I wasn't sure."

"Oh, yeah? About what?"

Meeyon purses her pink lips and balances her body weight on her other leg, seemingly wanting to look confident upon saying the next words. "That you are Minjun's father. I wouldn't have thought that you would become a father at such a young age. I can only hope the father is still there. Poor kid. Is it Jaesang?"

"And what about you then? You are barely a year older than me. You don't get to decide how Minjun feels or get to decide anything else about my private life. Keep your nose out of my business!"

With that Jimin turns around and sits down in the waiting area opposite from where Minjun disappeared behind the door. Minutes pass, but Meeyon doesn't speak to Jimin for the remaining hour. It makes him wonder about her child who he didn't see as he was focused on Minjun. Is the child like his mother?

The next moment, the door opens and the children stream into the hallway one by one to meet their waiting parents. Jimin cannot say that he isn't concerned when Minjun is not there. However, his worry is relieved a little later when he is accompanied by his teacher. Pink gleams on his cheeks and Jimin immediately crouches down in front of him.

"Did you have fun, baby? Tell appa what you think of this lesson."

Honesty is something he has established from an early age. Minjun can talk to him about anything, but unfortunately, despite that, he has always been closed off. Through Jungkook's influence, however, he has gained more openness. Jimin hopes that he will also be honest now, because he doesn't want to force him to do something he doesn't like.

"Minjun was great for his young age. He did well, considering that many in the class are already four. Go ahead and tell your appa what you did."

"Minjun bowed and kicked," the said boy says and bows like he was taught.

"Bowed in, yes. He was very attentive throughout the lesson. I'm sure if he continues he can do well in it."

"Thank you Ms Kim," Jimin thanks her and peers down at his son, who looks at him with a shy but proud expression. "Do you want to come back here, baby?"

Minjun nods before falling into his arms and burying his head in his neck.

"Then we'll come back next week," Jimin returns his hug and looks up at the teacher who has already opened her mouth.

"I'm glad to hear that. Have a lovely day and see you next time Minjun." The woman waves after him as Jimin grabs his hand and they leave to go home. Their journey home is not long-lasting and Jimin is happy that today's experience put Minjun in a good mood, which you can see in his movements. All the time he mumbles about how much fun he had in the lesson or jumps around with joy.

They make a quick detour to buy Minjun a scoop of ice cream and then enter the apartment building where they live, not expecting to find anyone at the front door.

"Jungkook? What are you doing here?"

The one in question was squatting on the floor with his back against the wall. His gaze was directed upwards, as if waiting for time to pass more quickly. A bubbly feeling comes over the single father as the other suddenly looks at him and stands up, decreasing the distance between them.

"A neighbour let me into the building and I just wanted to drop something that Minjun had forgotten." Jungkook's expression morphs into a meaningful expression of kindness as he holds the cuddly toy Minjun had brought. Jimin stifles the comment that crosses his mind at that moment: 'That could have waited until tomorrow.'

No matter how hard Jimin thinks about it. Jungkook seems to be a mystery to him and Jimin doesn't know how to feel seeing how close Minjun and him have gotten over the previous weeks. He can't deny that he feels attracted to him, but there are so many things he doesn't know about Jungkook.

Jimin, however, does not want to seem rude and thanks Jungkook, as he knows how important the cuddly toy is to Minjun, who falls asleep with it every day.

"Thank you, it's quite important to him. Um-" Jimin clears his throat, not quite knowing what to say. It's good that Minjun is here and takes the lead in the situation again.

"Kookie, come with me. You can play with me. Please?" Jungkook looks perplexedly at Jimin for his permission. He doesn't want to make the same mistake as last time.

"Alright, but I have to start making supper soon," Jimin finally sighs when he sees the look on his son's face and then Jungkook's. He just can't deny either of them anything. Yet, it shouldn't be the case with Jungkook, after all, there was still something unfinished from the last time he left his flat so strangely.

"Don't worry." Jungkook shakes his head and leads Minjun into the flat where they take off their shoes and hang up their jackets after Jimin unlocks the flat door.

Again. Again, his kind heart took the upper hand again and he has let a man into his flat with whom he is not even friends. What he doesn't suspect are the incipient frequencies and feelings for a certain person with brown doe eyes that could mean more in the future.

"Let's read a book or let's play with cars?" 

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[A/N]: How are you enjoying the story so far?

I'm working hard on the story to fill the story line with ideas and write them out into words. I give my best so that there won't be another hiatus for this story 💜🌙