Chapter Text
Jungkook was TIRED.
He was so tired that if he could, he would sleep for three fucking years, wake up and eat like a horse and then sleep again for another three fucking years.
It was all thanks to three part time jobs he worked throughout the week but it was not all.
Mr I-can-do-it-all-by-myself was a university student, who had three days of university, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm on top of all those demonic jobs.
To put cherry on the top, he had to wake up at 5 am everyday because one fateful day he decided to rent a shitty apartment that was almost an hour and a half away from this university.
So yes, Jungkook was tired because if he was not, he might get away by calling himself superman after having THIS schedule.
Aside everything, his hellish university hours, his shitty apartment with no hot water and paper thin walls such that he can hear people doing ungodly things at ungodly hours through them, God-forbidden part time jobs and his insufferable bosses, he had one good thing going on in his life.
Only one thing.
And that was the new cafe that he has been frequenting to.
It was one random day when he stumbled upon a tiny cafe. The cafe smelled heavily of coffee, of course, since it was a cafe but the smell of coffee was so strong that he could taste it on his tongue.
He ordered a simple latte and went to a tiny table with a single seat at the corner of the cafe, opened his notes and laptop and went on with his assignments.
Soon it was just him and his ungodly assignments, the empty cup of latte forgotten at his side. He forgot that how he was sitting in a new cafe, or how people were coming and going constantly,
Or how another cup of latte magically appeared beside his laptop when he accidentally had a small nap while trying to understand the god forsaken assignment.
********
The tiny cafe became his safe haven, soon enough.
It was not just a cafe anymore, to Jungkook, it was a place where he could sit and enjoy his coffee.
And having such a place where he can just sit without worrying about the customers or people coming and going, was heaven to him.
With a cup of latte in his cold hands, munching on a blueberry muffin while sitting on his favourite spot, Jungkook swore that he could conquer the world and find inner peace if he tried to.
Along with the sweet atmosphere of the cafe, there was something else that had caught Jungkook’s eye.
Or rather, SOMEONE.
Park Jimin, the cafe owner.
He was a man of few words. Jungkook saw him for the first time when one day, he came to the cafe a little earlier than usual. Jimin was stocking up the pastries and cupcakes’ shelf with the freshly baked ones.
And surprisingly there was no one else in the cafe at that time.
It had been snowing since the morning that day, so one of his bosses had called and had given him an off for god-knows-what reason.
When he entered the cafe, he found someone bent over behind the glass shelves and he, being a perfectly normal human being (in his mind), knocked on the glass instead of using his perfectly functional mouth by saying a simple ‘hello’.
The knock scared the shit out of that someone who stumbled on his ass, dragging the tray of pastries with him which resulted in the pastries smushing on that someone’s shirt.
While all this was unfolding, Jungkook stood there with his hands in front of him, hanging in the air looking like a creep who was caught feeling someone’s ass.
When the man stood up, trying to clean the residual pastries on his shirt, Jungkook realised that it was someone he had never seen before.
’Must be a newbie’
He thought, extending his apologies and ordering his usual coffee with pink dusted cheeks.
Because, man, that someone was pretty,
Too pretty.
The man, soon after taking his order, scurried inside one of the rooms when one of the other staff members took over the register.
Jungkook didn’t know who he was or what his role was in the cafe.
But he did remember that his coffee tasted different than usual.
*****
It was Thursday, 29th of December, Jungkook still remembers the date because….well you’ll see.
The streets were decorated with different colored lights and most of the shops were closed because it was new year in two days. Most of the people were out on vacations, some snuggled up in their houses with their families.
Jungkook was also given off that day from his last part time job of the day since the boss was going on a vacation too.
So he decided that he would take his books and laptop to his favourite cafe and study there till his brain breaks down.
With his backpack slung over his arm,he made his way over to the tiny cafe, the aroma of coffee reaching his nose even before he reached the cafe. There was a skip in his step and he could tell that he was excited to go to the cafe.
It might be due to the familiar atmosphere of the place or might be due to a certain pretty person whom he has not seen after that booty crushing incident.
So Jungkook entered the cafe, ordered his usual latte, made his way over to his favourite place and pulled out his notes.
Soon there was a cup of sweet goodness sitting alongside the spread of his books and notes, and he lost himself into the world of organic chemistry (which he was studying).
The next time his eyes opened, Jungkook saw a blurry image of a beautiful man, with emerald eyes and silver hair, placing a cup of hot latte near his laptop.
The man had his eyes turned upside down like the crescent of the moon as if he was smiling, and he heard the melodic voice of his asking him if he wanted to sleep upstairs.
Jungkook doesn’t remember much (there must be something wrong with his brain) but he does know that he woke up the next MORNING, laying over on someone else’s bed, in someone else’s sheets and in someone else’s house.
And the first thing he checked was if he had his pants on or not.
’It isn’t like I hooked up with someone! Why am I checking my clothes?’ He grumbled to himself, pulling the sheets off himself and wearing the soft slippers placed near the bed.
When he saw his coat and sweater laying over the cream colored chair, only then he noticed the room he was standing in or more like he slept in.
The room was entirely made of wood, or it looked like so. The color scheme of the room was more on a warm side, having splashes of colors like brown, cream and yellow.
The bed itself was cream-colored, with the bedspread also being of the same color and a fluffy yellow colored blanket which he previously had over him.
The room also adorned various small sized cabinets and wooden tables to cater to the needs of the owner. As he admired the subtle decor of the room, he noticed a small door, almost matching with the brown color of the walls, which he assumed led to the attached bathroom.
Jungkook exited the room, after washing his face and brushing his teeth with the surprisingly new toothbrush sitting alongside another one which was already being used judging by the shape of the bristles, taking his coat and sweater with him and went down the wooden stairs which greeted him as soon as he left the room.
As he descended the stairs, he was faced with two doors, one to the left and other to the right. He decided to open the right door first because according to Jungkook, the right is always right but decided against it at the last minute because he cannot discriminate among the doors goddammit. So with much thought (probably more than necessary because what is Jungkook if not an overthinker), he opened the left one and came face to face with the interior of the cafe.
The cafe looked fairly how it looked everyday even from where he stood (it actually makes no sense because it's not like the cafe would’ve changed overnight).
The only difference was that the cafe was completely empty. It seemed like it had not opened yet. Jungkook assumed it was fairly early in the morning since the cafe was always open before his first shift in the
morning, which was around 8 am.
He closed the door softly hearing the click of the lock locking in place and then proceeded to open the other door.
As soon as he opened the right door, he was smacked with the smell of coffee and freshly baked goods. Someone was doing something with a fancy looking steel jug with his back turned towards him.
And Jungkook being his wild self, fumbled on his feet and stood awkwardly until that someone turned around, probably to fetch something, and noticed him.
Or more like scared himself shitless.
There stood Park Jimin, the angel incarnate, with his silver hair falling over his cute little eyes, holding a pair of cups in one hand and a pot of sugar in his other hand, staring profusely at him with his eyes opened into wide saucers.
Jungkook recognised him, of course he did, he was the one standing there when the angel himself stumbled on his ass in front of him with pastries all over him.
’But what is he doing here?’ Jungkook thought.
Jimin, coming out of his initial shock, called Jungkook over with a sweet smile and the motion of his hand, ushering him over to sit on one of the chairs of the small table.
And Jungkook being the embarrassing self he is, came stumbling over his own toes, sitting on the chair with a loud thump, and knocking the table with his knees.
He could see the grimace lacing Jimin’s features over his actions and Jungkook had never ever cursed himself more than at that time.
“I m-made some waffles since you might be hungry.” Jimin mumbled, his cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink while holding a plate of freshly made waffles, with a splash of honey and blueberries on top. He placed two plates on the small table and turned around, heading towards the other counter with a coffee pot and two cups, taking them with him and placing them on the table along with the plates.
All this while, Jungkook sat there with a dumb expression. Jimin, after noticing how Jungkook had frozen up, pushed his plate of waffles to him, encouraging him to have a bite.
Jungkook’s face flushed a deep shade of crimson, and he stammered a half-apology while trying to hide behind his cup of coffee. “I… thanks,” he managed, his tone betraying both embarrassment and a hint of genuine gratitude.
In that moment, Jimin’s soft, steady gaze spoke volumes. He had seen Jungkook’s daily struggles—the relentless fatigue, the missed details, the clumsy, half-awake existence—and he wanted to help. “Jungkook,” he continued hesitantly, “I know you’re working hard and dealing with a lot… and if you ever need a break, a real one, I’d like to offer you something more permanent than just a cup of coffee.”
Jungkook’s heart pounded as if trying to outrun his own exhaustion. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to shatter the fragile moment of intimacy.
Jimin’s eyes flickered with cautious hope. “I don’t know if it is my place to say this to you, but there’s a job opening here at the cafe, and …I have a spare room upstairs. It’s not much, but it’s a place where you can rest—a place where you can feel at home. I… I’d really like for you to be a part of this place, to have a little sanctuary from all of… this.” He gestured vaguely to the world outside—the never-ending cycle of classes, part-time jobs, and sleepless nights.
For a long moment, silence stretched between them—a silence heavy with possibilities. Jungkook felt his brain short-circuit, but after the initial shock, he, for the first time in a long while, felt a spark of something other than exhaustion. In that instant, he realized that perhaps all those moments of oblivious tiredness had been leading him here, to this unexpected offer of kindness and refuge.
“Y-yes,” he finally managed, the word carrying the weight of a life long spent on the edge of collapse yet yearning for a reprieve. “I’d like that… I really would.”
As Jungkook accepted the offer very gratefully, there was a single question that was playing in the back of his mind,
”How will I keep myself from falling for this angel?”