SERENDIPITY : 우리 시리도록 피다.

Once,

You soothe me with comforting words

Called me

Lended me a soft voice

“Are you outside?”

“Okay, just sleep.”

“I’ll text you later.”

Someone to know I’m safe

Someone to call in the late hours

Someone to be there

Now I can cry and let the tears ease me into sleep

The restlessness of a wasted night

You responded to the recklessness

Now I can numbly slip into a quiet place

Heart throbbing

But not shaking, sobbing, so unhinged that the night sky starts spinning,

So I’m starting to see stars, on the ceiling of my room

Every night is like this

So anxious I have to be under the speckled sky

Twice,

Somehow you knew

The hints trailing behind my footsteps

I was about to give up, by going in

But you gave me kind words again

You called again

I want to hear your voice so badly

But I stay strong by staying distant

No one’s ever said the words you gave me,

Somehow I feel transparent when you do

How’d you know exactly what I needed

“Are you studying right now?”

“No, not right now”

I won’t say where I am

I never thought you’d care enough to call me out

“You’re walking, right?”

Okay, I’ll admit it

“Yes”

“Can I join you?”

As if you’re not the one helping,

In this way I can let you help me

A kind gesture,

Keeping me company

Your voice more than a sound through the phone

You let me have you for five hours

And, somehow, impossibly, I gave you me

Before, only the stars I walked under saw these thoughts and fears and sorrows

But you walked the same path with me

And now I can sleep without seeing stars

Heart throbbing, but not shaking

For so long,

I tried to wear my heart on my sleeve

Rid myself of the fear

That people would leave but—

As soon as I got there

I felt the price of it

I think

That what’s right

For now

For me to keep going

Is to find a jar,

One that will keep my heart on display,

But safe,

Away from lingering eyes

Seal the lid tight,

But not tight enough that someone who really tries

Can’t open

I close the lid,

I find the perfect spot

And I put it on a shelf,

Tucked away

Not having to mask the pain of the past

From sleeve to shelf

For now,

FALL

WINTER 

SPRING

SUMMER

.

The sky is getting bluer 

I can smell the freshness and life in the air

You still appear in my thoughts as fragments of joy, and sadness, and longing

The flowers bring with them memories of you

Everything is bare, the wind raw

But it makes the streets glitter 

I’m still trying to figure you out 

You are just as cold to me as the weather,

But then you become warm

When you see me freezing

The beaming of the sun reveals my secrets

I am exhausted by the heat

Where are you?

The transition of this time isn’t peaceful, it’s itching

Itching 

I feel the leaves falling again

Leaving me bare, vulnerable

How did I get here?

I swore I would never come back to the ground

It was never soft or slow—the falling

I changed and failed and took chances,

Everything happening so quickly

Coming as gradual as the change into autumn,

But ending just as quickly as the arrival of winter

Winter

I’m back to winter—

Long, lonely, cold—

You’re just as cold to me as the weather

But when you warm up you bring spring with you

And the sky clears up

And it’s blue again

Stacked on each other until they build something so much bigger. They set the framework for a beautiful picture, snowflakes falling one by one, but soon enough they stick to each other until it all becomes snow and the pieces are no longer just snowflakes but it’s all just.. snow.

➴pairing – jimin x reader – taehyung x reader – [ft. namjoon]

➴genre – fluff // angst

➴theme – college!au // jimin!barista // taehyung!artist

You developed a little crush on the barista at your local coffee shop, Jimin. While you start going to the cafe regularly, thinking it as harmless and innocent, you don’t realize that your interest in him will catch the attention of Taehyung, the most-liked boy in school. As the two of them stir up an almost espresso-and-milk-kind-of element to your school life and study load, you find yourself involved in a more complicated situation than you were prepared for.

»listen to the bittersweet playlist titled “coffee shop boy” here.

« m e l t i n g »

✰

You stared out the window, chin resting on your hand. How would Jimin and Taehyung know each other? Let alone, how could they be friends? 

Just the thought almost made your stomach churn again. Like you had swallowed something bitter. They just don’t seem like two people whose worlds would ever overlap.. you contemplated. 

Strangely, unknowingly, you had never been at the coffee shop at the right times, in which Taehyung would frequently visit Jimin, keeping him company by checking in on him, or just hanging in the cafe to study or do homework. Even though the two were roommates and Tae saw Jimin basically every day. 

I’m here to support my friend, Taehyung would always make as an excuse, jokingly, I have to show that you’re brining in customers. That the business is profiting just by having you as their employee. Of course I’m not the only one coming in for Park Jimin, but I’m here to represent your case.

Nevertheless, you couldn’t imagine such a thing. Even though you didn’t really know Taehyung that well. But you did know of him, for sure. The whole school did, you had to admit. 

Very abruptly breaking your daze, Namjoon popped himself right in your field of view, in the chair on the other side of the table. You could only look at him startled, delayed enough that Namjoon picked right up on it. “Daydreaming?” He gently accused. Without waiting for you to respond, “You didn’t get anything for me?” He paused, confusedly, “Or for yourself, I see…?”

“Wait- how’d you- when-” After stuttering for a few moments, you gave up. 

“Oh come on, Y/N. You’re always here. If I really need to find you, I don’t have to try that hard. Besides, considering the way you were acting last night, and the fact that you haven’t been responding to my texts, I knew you’d be here.” He informed you matter-of-factly. “But you usually do have coffee on you at all times.”

Before you had a chance to deny any of it or offer a salty retort, Jimin had quietly approached your table. He placed a beautifully layered cappuccino in front of you, the cream and espresso and foam forming three distinct layers, topped with caramel drizzle- and you had to stop your brief gawking to smile, bubbles forming in your chest. The caramel was in the shape of a smiley face—childish but not cringy, coming from Jimin. 

Jimin just laughed, a little embarrassed, and left rather quickly. But not before you saw him quickly catch a glimpse of Namjoon. 

You didn’t even have time to process, and Joon teased, “I also know that it doesn’t hurt when barista boy is here.” He wiggled his eyebrows a little, shamelessly giving you a knowing look. “Is that him?” He took a moment, glaring at Jimin intensely. “Wait!” You could tell he was becoming more and more intrigued, “Wasn’t he there last night? At Club Avenue? Is that why-”

Before Joon could finish his sentence, and he started picking out the clues and hounding you with questions, slightly embarrassed and slightly annoyed, you tried diverting the conversation, “Barista boy has a name.”

Namjoon just raised his eyebrows, anticipating.

You whispered, exasperated, “Jimin.” You just leaned back in your chair, arms crossed. As soon as you felt your cheeks warming, you turned your head to look back out at the window, avoiding any obligation to continue the conversation. 

Namjoon also leaned back, smirking in amusement. He didn’t bask too long in the moment, though he would have if his eyes hadn’t caught the scribbles on the napkin Jimin had left with your coffee. 

Hope this helps you start off your new day :)

You caught Namjoon in the act, and you followed his line of vision. You picked up the napkin, dumbfounded, and brought it closer to your face. A bit too enthusiastic and confused, you exclaimed, “Huh?” Much more quietly, you tried to contain the mix of excitement and fluster that was melting your heart. When you realized what it said, and who wrote it, you brought it to your chest to conceal it, as if it would erase the memory from Namjoon’s mind. 

After your sudden burst of elation faded, the realization brought you back to reality almost immediately. Now every other emotion was overburdened by your recurring feeling of embarrassment. Whether Joon had been there or not, your face wouldn’t have been an any lighter shade of red. 

“A love note?” He teased, mocking your look of swoon, or at least his interpretation of it.

“Yah! Hajima, stop that.” But this time, you didn’t hide the shy smile that started to give itself away, or the giddiness glowing all over your face, or your bubbles of light laughter.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Jimin nervously bit his lower lip. Why am I so nervous about one little note?

Before he could see you discover what he had shyly tried to hide under your plate and cup, Jimin had sprinted and hid, excusing himself to wash a few dishes in the back and “check inventory.” He had stayed there for about the past ten minutes, driving himself crazy with over-thinking everything. 

He ran his hand through his hair, deep in contemplation, eyebrows furrowed, and then suddenly let out an exasperated scream “Ahhhh- wae! Why’d I do that?” 

After a moment or two for him to calm himself down, one of his coworkers peaked his head in the back, “Um.. Is everything okay back here?”

Jimin scrambled to make himself look busy, “Ah- everything’s fine-” his slight panic, mixed with a sudden clumsiness, had him knocking over a box from the shelf. “Oh!” He quickly recovered it, laughing nervously in the process, looking back at his coworker. “I’ll be out right away!”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You could still feel your face burning. You could feel the pink on your face. I know this doesn’t mean anything. But.. it’s still really nice. He actually noticed you, and you could feel the sweetness in the coffee he made you. You didn’t know why this mattered so much to you but—it meant you had made at least a small connection, and Jimin must have acknowledged that too. 

After a few more minutes spent deep in thought, you turned back to Joon, more seriously. “Hey.. Joon..” You approached him with your words hesitantly, eyes shifting to look at the napkin your fingers were absentmindedly folding.

There was something at your core. It was bothering you, but you couldn’t give it a name. It was bothering you so much, that the barista boy’s kind gesture made you feel even more anxious. 

“Eo, wae? Museun il-iya? Hmm, what is it?” Even though he seemed relaxed, Joon was wavering just a bit inside, anxious as to why you had been extra stressed and somewhat distant this past semester. Usually the both of you would relieve the others’ stress, watching movies together and laughing about stupid things, taking late night walks to get a break from never-ending term papers, anything to help each other put on those we don’t care that we’re failing classes even though they kinda mean everything right now or we don’t know what we’re gonna do after we graduate but we’re just here to live life one day at a time attitudes, to brave it all as the others’ partner-in-crime through life. But you wouldn’t let him in as openly as you had before, when you used to talk about everything.

When you had gathered yourself again, you quickly scanned your surroundings, noticing students from your school. Though they were wrapped up in their own worlds and own concerns, something like paranoia squeezed at your chest. 

You looked Joon in the eyes, “Do you wanna go, like, to the library.. or something?” 

He didn’t even question the fact that it was already winter break, and that there wasn’t really a reason to be there. He knew you needed the quiet and to be lost in a maze of bookshelves, and a friend to keep you more company than the books could offer.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You weren’t doing anything for winter break. And you didn’t want to stay in your dorm room to feel yourself slowly going insane, or bathing in self-loathe—over how lame it was to not be spending your vacation with family or friends. So, you decided the most productive thing you could do was work on finding a job. You couldn’t afford the time or the finances to take a break. 

You were FaceTiming Joon, because—heck—going from seeing him everyday to not at all made you feel lonely, and, you admitted, you missed him (just a little). 

“Yeah! So you know that one bookstore—the one on the corner by you and Hobi’s apartment?”

“You mean the one that I’ve been going to since freshman year.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you nodded your head enthusiastically, wanting to continue with your announcement. “Well I-”

“You mean the one-” he interrupted, “that you were so excited to find last semester. The one we pass like all the time to go to 7/11. And you felt so proud to discover for the first time.” He started laughing, but he kept going, as he could see your face falling into a scowl. “And you were all like ‘Joon-ie! I discovered the best place to study, you won’t believe it.’ And you kept going on, ‘They have new books, like really crisp and fresh. But then they also have like classic used ones- like you know the ones with that old book smell and-’” 

He was having way too much fun imitating you.

“Hey!” You interrupted, half-heartedly trying to defend yourself, “..I never call you.. Joonie.” 

But he wasn’t listening to you, still cackling over the memory as it resurfaced in his memory, “‘It’s just so cute.’” He mimicked you. And at this point all you could do was fume at his fun-making in silence. “And then you were so upset at me, when I wasn’t excited to hear about something I had already found like months ago. And you were mad at me for not sharing the place with you, but I had literally told you it was there, or mentioned it, when we passed by it. Like more than once, Y/N.” 

Namjoon’s eyes scrunched up, and he put his hand over his eyes as he continued giggling.

The whole time you scoffed, or tried to interject, but you knew it was pointless. You secretly loved it, but on the outside you were as indifferent and annoyed as you could feign. “Okay, I get it. I’m totally oblivious.”

“Now-” You started again, determinedly, as if Namjoon had not just made you recount the mortifying moment. “As I was saying, I talked to the owner—you know the really cute haraboji—and he was happy to hire someone to help around the store.”

As Namjoon was still collecting himself, you frowned, waiting for him to start listening to you again. “Okay, okay, I’m listening. Yes, really cute grandpa. That’s definitely a perk.”

You continued, “Yeah, and you know how it’s really hard to get in the smaller spaces or maneuver around some of the piles of books.”

“Mhmmm.”

“Yeah, well.. I guess I can be somewhat useful..”

Namjoon laughed, this time in an endearing way, “Yeah. That’s great, Y/N.”

“And alsooooo,” you batted your lashes, “You’ll probably get to see more of me. Since I’ll be so close.”

He pretended to be confused, waiting for more information. 

“Okay, well, is that not interesting enough for you?” 

“It’s great, I’m just thinking about how to keep you from coming over and eating all my snacks.”

You tried to hit him through the screen and he laughed. And then you just started laughing, only half-attempting to pretend to be mad, “Well fine then. I guess I’ll just come over to see Hobi.”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

A week’s worth of winter break had already passed, and you had settled into a comfortable routine: waking up late—or what was late for not having 8AM classes—working the afternoon shift, and hanging at the coffee shop in the evenings—even though a certain barista hadn’t been there—and alternating between reading and writing. 

And you’d usually make up an excuse to call Namjoon everyday, usually at the same time. Eventually he caught on, and even called you when you didn’t stick to your normal pattern. “Did something happen to you? You usually call by now. I have to make sure you’re not dead. It’s not like you have a next door neighbor or something to check on you.”

But, lately, you had been busy writing about a main character who was an artist, and so you had spent what free time you had reading about different methods of art and famous art pieces. Luckily, you worked in the perfect place to find resources with that kind of information.

You would admit it, that you took advantage your position a little. But in all honestly, the store haraboji didn’t mind at all. You knew he had already caught you a couple of times perusing some of the aisles when it was slow. 

You walked back to one of the far corners of the store to return one of the painting books you had been scanning. But, along with your feet, your heart stopped dead in their tracks. You were paralyzed. “Kim T-T-Taehyung,” you whispered to yourself, in partial stun and partial fear. 

He was standing, head down and eyes intensely attentive to the page he was studying. His fingers, long and slender, moved along the text of the page, and his eyes followed. Like his features, the movement was precise and delicate. As you unknowingly concentrated on him, the ends of his hair brushing against his eyelashes, his lips relaxed and slightly parted, totally enveloped by what he was reading—your heart started racing in a different way. Not out of fear. Something about his presence, when you took a moment to take it in, was relaxing. No wonder people found him pleasant.. pleasant to talk to, pleasant to look at.. 

“Um, excuse me-” You jumped a little, squeaking at the brisk voice slicing through your reverie. 

When you turned around, you saw another very familiar face. Lee Mina. She had been in one of your classes last year. She was the same year as you. Before you could recoil from the nasty memories she brought back, she asked, “Could you put this back?” As she shoved it in your hands, she looked you up and down and then commented, displeased, “I don’t want it anymore.” 

You scowled, mouth half-open about respond to her rude remark, but she walked right past you, “Oh- Taehyung-oppa.” 

You just cringed. For more than one reason, but mostly because of how fake Mina’s surprised act was, and how her voice suddenly became a pitch or two higher. 

You couldn’t resist, to turn your head and watch Taehyung’s reaction. And for the first time in a year, you and Taehyung made eye contact.  

☾——————————————————————————————————☽

A/N: so the question is--did tae go to the bookshop intentionally, or was it just “fate”? ;))

i was actually planning on posting this at the end of summer, but things got really crazy. I was actually studying abroad in Korea this past semester--it was amazing~~ If you’re still here--whether you’re coming back for more, or if you’ve just stumbled upon this little guy--thank you for reading!! this is my precious bb, because i actually have a lot of plans, ideas for plot direction. and some later content already prepared, ayeeee. but it has been a bit neglected, ahhh ㅠㅠ 

but! i’m excited to come back, so please stay with me~ much love♥ 

—moonie☾✧

☽

→ preview // prev. // chapter four // next (coming)

→ “coffee shop boy” playlist

⋆

Coffee

Three cups a day,

A daily choice that turned into a comfortable routine

Wake me up from this daze

The lull of past memories, past lives, past people

I get so lost I can’t count the days, maybe even months

I still drink coffee, the same as always,

I’m still me, when you strip away everything wearing me down,

Three cups a day

I try to balance the bitterness with more and more sugar.

But it doesn’t taste the same,

There’s an aftertaste I didn’t notice before.

. . .

I didn’t know you could be this sweet,

So warm,

When people keep saying you’re so cold.

Why me then,

That you’re okay to pour this warmth out to me.

A cold night,

Walking alone,

You came to walk beside me,

and heated my trembling hands,

And my heart suddenly warmed with them.

You let me see the surface,

But when I looked harder, your walls were made of glass.

Surely everyone could see how deep you went,

Sense the warmth reflecting from underneath.

I still don’t know

If it was your kindness,

Or my own sweetener,

Or both.

But you greeted me with a caring heart—

warm, kind, sweet

. . .

And suddenly my everyday coffee isn’t enough

To comfort me,

With sweetness and warmth,

Not like you did.

It wasn’t there before,

But now that I’ve tasted you,

➴pairing – jimin x reader – taehyung x reader – [ft. namjoon]

➴genre – fluff // angst

➴theme – college!au // jimin!barista // taehyung!artist

You developed a little crush on the barista at your local coffee shop, Jimin. While you start going to the cafe regularly, thinking it as harmless and innocent, you don’t realize that your interest in him will catch the attention of Taehyung, the most-liked boy in school. As the two of them stir up an almost espresso-and-milk-kind-of element to your school life and study load, you find yourself involved in a more complicated situation than you were prepared for.

»listen to the bittersweet playlist titled “coffee shop boy” here.

« b a c k g r o u n d »

✰

It wasn’t that Taehyung considered “people in the background” as nothing other than the side characters, or nobodies. People were art. It was more like they were the people that never came into focus. If you talked to him, he truly enjoyed your company, and was invested in you. He would take in your presence, appreciating your value, the story you carried with you everywhere. In that moment he would be almost completely attentive towards you. If he wasn’t, it was only to get lost inside his own trailing thought—which could happen quite often, actually.

But if you weren’t one of the few precious people to him, the supporting characters to his life, then he wasn’t going to write a song about you, or paint you in his picture. They were people that got edited out of scenes, because they weren’t central to the movie.

But when Taehyung saw her, saw you, for the second time in the same day, his curiosity peaked, wondering what intentions the writer of his story could possibly have had for you. Up until today, you had been nothing more than a background somebody. You could call it coincidence. But Taehyung didn’t really believe in just coincidences.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

“Woah, Y/N hold up,” Namjoon tried to soothe, realizing you were some kind of distressed. “What’s wrong?”

Hyper-focused on getting to the fastest escape route, you ran to the curb, trying to flag down a cab. Your thoughts were as scattered as your sense of direction, your senses as fuzzy as the world of whirring cars and bright street lights.

“Yah, Y/N.” Namjoon tried more firmly.

He gently whipped you around, grabbing your left shoulder, “Wae gurae? Why are you being like this?”

You just stared him in the eyes, feeling caught in a secret. You bit your bottom lip, guiltily. “Just trust me on this, I can’t be here right now.”

“Just tell me why,” he responded a bit dejectedly, feeling the hopelessness of not being able to take any pieces of a larger burden he knew you had been holding on to. Joon had been there to back you up when you needed it, patiently, but you had been holding back details from him. You didn’t know why. You didn’t want to see him hurt or angry or anything over such things. But at the same time you knew he would feel those emotions in place of you, no matter how much he knew, or in this case, didn’t know. All he had to know was how it affected you.

Make you were just scared of getting him involved in the situation. Even though it was already over.

“Joon, I can’t do this right now-” You stopped, distractedly. Namjoon looked over his shoulder, following your gaze.

A giggling boy was lazily coming out of the entrance, hanging on a boy—arm slung over his shoulder—somewhat taller than him, who was laughing at the other and his clinginess. The shorter one’s face was bright, in expression and complexion. Suddenly, he hopped on the other’s back.

“Wooahh,” the other responded, continuing to make amused noises.

As the scene played out before you, it took you a moment, but you knew both of the boys—Kim Taehyung and.. Jimin? Both shock and curiosity mingling and mixing inside your mind, it created a dangerous concoction of emotions you couldn’t quite figure out, leaving you to just stand there. You had a hard time accepting the connecting dots.

Namjoon, watching them, squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows in slight confusion, not being able to recognize either boys. He just turned back to you, mouth open about to question you, until he noticed your expression. This time, he grabbed your hand, walking you around the block as you mindlessly followed.

After you both had turned the corner, he turned to look back at you again, arms crossed in determination to solve the puzzle of whatever was rustling around in your mind. After a moment of having to blankly stare at him and his I-am-trying-to-figure-out-the-issue-here-but-I-might-have-to-surrender-because-it’s-not-within-my-power look, he bluntly asked you, “7/11?”

You looked up to meet him with doe-like eyes, then stared at the ground and just shook your head up and down.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You sat at the window, slurping your ramen noodles. Your eyes never once left the inside of the ramen cup.

Namjoon sat next to you, staring disinterestedly at his ramen. After a while of his inconspicuous glances at you, dumbfounded and frequent, he ripped the lid off, broke his chopsticks, sighed, and then started eating with you in silence, as you both usually did when you came here.

You were wrestling with how to tell Joon. You wanted to tell him everything. But somehow, someone or something wouldn’t let the words come out. You were afraid and exhausted. But you weren’t sure why exactly. You just wanted to figure that part out first.

This was a time of communion. It was a time to let silence and noodle-slurping speak for the both of you. It was a time that was supposed to be healing enough, that at least after you finished eating ramen, for the rest of the night, you could both leave your worries at the 7/11.

When you both finished this time, Namjoon grabbed your empty cup and left to throw it away. When he came back, he briskly, yet sensitively announced: “Kaja. Let’s go.”

You followed Namjoon out the door, past the store front, onto the sidewalk, walking in the space next to him, but about a foot staggered behind. He walked slowly, hands in his pockets, not looking behind him and not expecting you to catch up to his side. A few minutes later, not breaking his demeanor, he said, “You know you can tell me anything.. right? I won’t judge you or anything..”

“Joon-ah, it’s not that.. I know,” and the quiet break of desperation in your voice for him to believe that said enough.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

When you walked into the coffee shop the next morning, you felt a heaviness from last night clinging to your body, your clothes. Perhaps even the dark circles under your eyes. No matter how much makeup you put on to conceal it, or the three different outfits you changed out of, you could still feel it lingering. Somehow, you hoped the bitterness of coffee, mixed with the sweetness of a little sugar, would be able to wash away the tiredness aching in your bones.

You walked in, some distance from the front of the counter, scanning the menu for some sort of inspiration. Today you wanted to do something different, you wanted a change.

While you just stared indecisively, scowling in deep concentration, a soothing, cheerful voice interrupted you: “Would you like some help?”

Summoned from your inner bubble of thought, you just looked at the barista, slightly startled. Not that you should have been, he was just doing his job.

Before you could even register that it was Jimin, something in your chest filled with warmth, a comforting kind—but it was better than coffee. “I just mean-” he started to explain himself, smiling in a quiet amusement, both for your reaction and his sudden investment in the interaction, “You always get the same thing, ya know?”

He knew you? Even if it was just as a familiar face, it wasn’t something you would ever expect enough to hope for.

You walked up to the register. And for some strange reason, you didn’t feel sick to your stomach in nervousness. There was just something about his aura that made you feel—comfortable, yes— but also.. natural. Like he was and had been your friend from ever since you could remember.

You laughed, genuine enough you could feel it in your eyes. “Yeah, but today-” You looked up as you contemplated, “I want today to be a new day for me.”

Jimin shook his head, pursing his lips as he took in what you said, in a mock yet genuine seriousness. “Ahhh..” He held his chin, elbow propped up by his other hand, as if he were thinking, mimicking how you looked up for a moment. And then, as if he had made a discovery, a solution to your dilemma, he raised his index finger, “Aha! Alright, I got it.”

You did your best to hold in your laugh, trying to play along. Your face a blank slate, fascinated to know the answer, you asked, “Well, what is it?”

He gave you a playful, secretive look. He pressed the same index finger to his lips, motioning for you to keep his plans a secret. “I have just the thing for you, but you can’t tell anyone. If someone finds out, they’d try to steal it from me.”

You nodded obediently. Though your lips may have been relaxed in seriousness, your eyes still smiled.

Seriously, eyes slightly wide, Jimin added “That also means I can’t keep any kind of records.” His soft smile reappeared, and you got his hint. “I’ll bring it to you when it’s ready,” and then he tended to the task he assigned to himself, happily, and you swore there was a little bounce in his step.

☾——————————————————————————————————☽

A/N: thank you for reading up until this point, i’m always excited to post these so i can share them with whoever is out there reading♥ —moonie☾✧

☽

→ preview // prev. // chapter three // next 

→ “coffee shop boy” playlist

⋆

➴pairing – jimin x reader – taehyung x reader – [ft. namjoon]

➴genre – fluff // angst

➴theme – college!au // jimin!barista // taehyung!artist

You developed a little crush on the barista at your local coffee shop, Jimin. While you start going to the cafe regularly, thinking it as harmless and innocent, you don’t realize that your interest in him will catch the attention of Taehyung, the most-liked boy in school. As the two of them stir up an almost espresso-and-milk-kind-of element to your school life and study load, you find yourself involved in a more complicated situation than you were prepared for.

»listen to the bittersweet playlist titled “coffee shop boy” here.

« y i n and y a n g »

✰

You pulled your hair up into a ponytail as you walked past the staff that filtered people coming into Club Avenue. Namjoon followed after you, and immediately fixed the tiny pieces of your hair that were sticking out weirdly, as if instinctive.

“Thanks,” you said, tightening your ponytail.

Namjoon just scanned the room, with the same serious/contemplative look that he had on his face the majority of the time. Sometimes, that was just his facial expression, and you teased him for it. But this time, he was probably more serious than he should have been, considering this night was meant for both of you to have fun together.

“Who are you looking for?” You first looked in the same direction as him, then peered over to look at his face to get his attention. He made eye contact with you, still distracted.  

“Nah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” But the more he tried to be chill about it, the more skeptical you became. You knew that sometimes he would only come with you because he didn’t want you to be alone, and because he was worried about the type of guys he knew came here. But he was usually calm about it, and right now he seemed kind of on-edge. Like there was someone particular he was being wary of.

He started pushing you further into the room, along the edge where the bar was, but close enough to the center that you could join in with the dancing, which he knew was what you preferred. “Let’s just do what we came here to do.”

You knew that Joon would be at the bar, not really drinking, but still, he said he liked the atmosphere and talking to people with their guards down. Dancing wasn’t really a possibility for him, not in public, at least. He would only dance if it was just the two of you.

Tonight he was especially tense, so you turned around to grab the wrist of the hand he had lightly touching your back. “You’re dancing with me tonight, then.”

He just scoffed. “That’s not happening.”

You just became even more determined, and asked for two shots from the bartender. You handed the soju to Namjoon, who just blankly stared between you and the glass in his hands a few times. “Let’s do what we came here to do-” you mimicked his words, trying to remind him: “have fun.”

You raised your eyebrows in slight impatience, signaling for him to drink it. He gave you a mixed confused look, like for some reason he couldn’t figure what was up with you, and then leaned his head back to drink it in one gulp.

You grabbed the next one, gave it to Namjoon, and stared at him, waiting. “This one’s for me too?” He asked, looking somewhat frighteningly surprised.

“Well I’m not the one who needs it right now, am I?”

After he finished, Namjoon had just enough time to slam the glass onto the counter, as you were dragging him into the sea of people—a bold action in and of itself. Even though he didn’t like getting this up close with people, and you knew it, he let you, because Namjoon knew you needed it more than he did. And you knew that too.

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Jimin ran his hand through his hair, head down. This wasn’t usually his scene, but Tae always dragged him to these places.

Taehyung was talking to two girls that had walked up to him, while Jimin was by the bar, just out of ear shot. Jimin didn’t even mind that he wasn’t in the conversation, it was more comfortable that way. But they kept glancing over at him, from the other side of his friend.

This continued on for some time, until it came to a point where Jimin was too flustered or uncomfortable, that every time he noticed it happening, he just sipped his drink, or looked nonchalantly in the other direction—or both. He wasn’t really interested in conversations that were pointless, or with people who just wanted something from you.

Jimin caught his own sideways glances at Tae, who was intently invested in the conversation. He would laugh, the kind of laugh that was so deep and repeated, where he scrunched his eyes, you knew it was genuine. Or he would gesture with his hands, flailing them around, and you could tell by his voice he was trying to convince his listeners of something, like his life depended on it. Or he just randomly threw in low key meme faces where they fit in the conversation.

Jimin didn’t even know what they were talking about for the whole time, but he knew this was why girls, or everyone, liked Taehyung, while he had an uncanny fan-club-like following. Tae never judged anyone, he was always kind and any kind of person could talk to him easily. He talked to everyone like he knew them. If they were lifelong friends or complete strangers, there wasn’t much of a difference in how he interacted with them. He just made people feel worthwhile. Like their time was the most precious thing to him in that moment.

Jimin didn’t understand how he did it, but that was just Tae, a naturally genuine person. It came flawlessly. It was the reason why they were friends; Taehyung was one of the few people Jimin trusted so easily.

People just enjoyed being in Tae’s presence. But Jimin knew, that a lot of the time, they also were gaining something for themselves by talking with him. There were particular people that wanted to raise their social status somehow. And because Taehyung easily made friends, he knew students who were established by their families’ social statuses, he befriended them, without a second thought. This just made it easier for those seeking to climb the social ladder, if they really persisted, since Taehyung was so easy to approach.

Not everyone was like that, but Jimin became skeptical more often than not. He hated the fact that someone would try to take advantage of Taehyung.

“A-hooo,” Taehyung interjected in his own conversation. “Sorry guys, I should probably watch my friend more closely. Looks like Jimin-ah needs my attention.” Tae flashed an apologetic smile to the girls he had been talking to, as he made his way over to Jimin and took the drink out of his hands.

While Tae had been talking to the two girls for some time, he also had talked to three others since he’d been here—some he knew, some he didn’t. But he always managed some kind of an excuse after about ten, fifteen minutes.

“Yah, why do you even come to these places if you don’t want to talk to anyone?” Jimin started feeling the heat coming off his face, flushed pink, as he realized how much he had ended up drinking over the past hour.

He never told Taehyung how he felt about some of the people he associated with.

“I like talking to you,” he countered playfully, “that’s why I came with you.” His eyes disappeared and he just leaned against the bar, sipping Jimin’s drink, as he watched people out on the dance floor enjoying themselves.

Jimin just shot the boy a questioning, sideways look. He sat on the stool, leaning back and mimicking Tae, tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling, as his body suddenly felt loose and heavy. Soon enough, he couldn’t even fight to keep his eyes open, and he dozed off to the beat of the DJ’s music as his lullaby.

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Jimin was too asleep to catch Taehyung’s realizing the girl—who came into Jimin’s coffee shop almost everyday—was there. He was too asleep to see Taehyung, with a cutely amused smile tugging the edge of his mouth, and a look in his eyes that Jimin had never seen before.

Taehyung had never felt like he was able to invest his interest in many people—except for Jimin, an exception. But it was kind of impossible, considering the scene she was making, wrapped up in her own little world. And something made Taehyung want to enter into that world.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You laughed, seeing Namjoon let loose and flail freely in the middle of other people’s dancing, not nearly as passionate as him. Joon could actually dance pretty well—albeit a little uniquely—but with how much he wanted to make you laugh and have fun, combined with his facial expressions, people weren’t sneaking glances because they thought he was good.

The more you laughed, the more into it he got.

But you joined in with his dorky dance moves, and you were pretty sure you caught him laughing at you a few times.

You couldn’t keep track of how long you had been there dancing—you never really did because you always got too caught up in it—but at some point you caught a glimpse of Taehyung. You usually never crossed paths with him in these places, outside of school. Something inside your stomach flipped, and then stayed there like a dead weight, making you feel nauseous. Before you knew that your body was moving, you grabbed Joon’s wrist, exiting Club Avenue as fast as you could break through the crowd.

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A/N: i’ve been slightly struggling through this already, b/c autocorrect wants to change jimin’s name to ‘jimmy’ everytime, and i just can’t, aha.

anyway, this chapter is kinda setting the stage for future conflict—which i’m prolly more excited for than i should be, aha—but there’s definitely way more fluffy moments in the future of “bittersweet”—ya know i can’t resist. also just imagining tipsy jimin is way too cute i can’t help it uwu

—moonie☾✧

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→ preview // prev. // chapter two  // next

→ "coffee shop boy” playlist

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➴pairing – jimin x reader – taehyung x reader – [ft. namjoon]

➴genre – fluff // angst

➴theme – college!au // jimin!barista // taehyung!artist

You developed a little crush on the barista at your local coffee shop, Jimin. While you start going to the cafe regularly, thinking it as harmless and innocent, you don’t realize that your interest in him will catch the attention of Taehyung, the most-liked boy in school. As the two of them stir up an almost espresso-and-milk-kind-of element to your school life and study load, you find yourself involved in a more complicated situation than you were prepared for.

»listen to the bittersweet playlist titled “coffee shop boy” here

« m u s e »

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f a l l

The first time you met Jimin, he was antagonizing over making your coffee perfect. And by met, you meant it was the first time you had ever laid eyes on him. You could tell that this wasn’t special treatment for you—because he was so nervous, so confused, and so focused on the process of actual coffee-assembling, because he cared about the smallest details—you could tell that he wanted it to be the best that anyone could make it. It went beyond trying to seek recognition from the customers or his boss; nevertheless, it was cute. And even if his genuine efforts weren’t meant to flatter you, they made you feel warm and even flustered.

So many college students had come for a coffee break at this time, which was probably overwhelming. It was the height of midterms, and this coffee shop was a popular spot for students to hit because it was right across from the main campus location in Seoul.

“What can I do for you today?”

“Hi-” you paused, taking a moment to mull over your thoughts, “I’d just like a caramel macchiato, please.”

The whole time he was taking your order, he had never made eye contact with you. He was quietly focused on the machine in front of him.

“What size?”

“Just a medium.”

“Alright, that’ll be $4.32,” he reported, looking up. Jimin smiled slightly, as of he were ready to take on his next challenge. “It’ll have that ready for you in no time!” He vowed.

You watched him make your order with a small yet enthusiastic determination.

And finally, as he reached to hand you your coffee, as soon as he saw your hand grabbed a hold of it, his eyes flicked to your yours. He smiled shyly at you and giggled a little, almost nervously. And a heartbeat later, before you could even process your own reaction, he was helping the next customer.

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w i n t e r

You were determined to finish your final paper for your English class. Paragraph by paragraph, you sipped on the coffee, savoring hints of cinnamon and caramel as you persevered. You couldn’t help but glance outside every ten minutes, watching the snow gently blanket the outside world. Part of you wanted to venture out there, but the warmth of the coffee brought you back in every time, keeping you cozy and focused. Relatively focused, that was—inevitably it brought you back to the barista boy, and by that time your whole face became warm.  

It had been two months, since you started coming in around four or five times a week, getting your fix of caffeine and something else you didn’t want to admit to yourself. But, inevitably, you discovered what days and times the barista boy worked, just by observation, and that he also had a name other than “barista boy”—Jimin.

When you finished your paper, you were relieved to have officially completed your second fall semester. You stretched, prepared yourself for a final chance of relaxation, and messaged your friend in hopes of celebrating somehow. You wanted some way to relieve all the stress that had piled up to this point.

“Hey, Joon,” you texted, “Do you want to go to Club Avenue tonight?”

You suddenly were reminded of the past semester and the drama that had consumed most it. Despite relentless, pointless efforts, it seemed everything that could have fallen apart inside your own little world did—friends, grades, reputation, your planned future. And with that you had picked up some habits, like drinking and clubbing, especially on week nights, skipping classes. This cafe had, unexpectedly, become your safe haven.

While you had commended yourself for pulling yourself together half way through this semester, and finishing the best you could, you couldn’t help but want to let everything go.

Namjoon, your best friend, your partner in crime, the one who stuck with you through all the fires, seeing you get hurt and sticking around to deal with the burns. You literally couldn’t go on any adventures without him or make any big decisions without his advice. He had been the only constant, and he was the only person you really had as a support now.

“Sure. I’m finishing my assignments but they’ll be done before tonight.”

“Mmk ♥♥.” You knew that Joon didn’t personally like your idea of fun, because he rather be doing other things, but he was always along for the ride. “Good luck!”

“Let’s have a good time tonight. We deserve it ;)”

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From the way he pulled on Jimin’s sleeve, he could have been easily mistaken as a child. “Ahhh, wae, Jimin-ah. I need you,” he whined.

The whole time the boy begged, Jimin tried to remain as indifferent as possible. However, seconds later a smile flashed on his face, promising the other boy a chance at triumph.

“Yah, Taehyung-ah,” he started in a parent-like tone. “Do you not have any assignments left? Didn’t you have a big art project due?”

Taehyung pouted, his face dropping in disappointment.

Pleased with his ability to stay firm, Jimin folded his arms and raised his chin just the slightest bit. “We can’t play until we’ve finished our work—like the responsible haksaeng, students, we are.”

Exasperated, Taehyung asked the air more than anything, “Ah, wae..”

“Fine,” he perked up, heavily invested in this more-of-a-business-like proposal than anything, “I finish my portfolio by tonight, and you-” he pointed at Jimin’s chest, “have to grace me with your presence.” His charming, yet childishly and genuinely satisfied smile made an appearance to conclude the agreement.

Jimin smiled and looked up, amused and please all at the same time. He immediately switched back to his previous persona, face sullen. He raised his right eyebrow, as if considering the options, and gave one confirming nod. “Alright,” he extended his hand for a handshake.

Taehyung accepted the gesture, a goofy grin on his face. “Waaaaaa, Jimin-ssi. It was a pleasure working with you.”

The two laughed, and Taehyung confidently announced, “I’ll pick you up at 10,” winked, and then sauntered off. Jimin just shook his head and went back to work.

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The snow had stopped, and so Taehyung sat on a city street bench, across from the coffee shop, trying to work at a masterpiece in his mind. He had his sketchbook on his lap and was pensively observing his surroundings. While it may have seemed like he was procrastinating this whole time, he really just hadn’t been able to muster up the concentration or inspiration necessary to enter into a creative mood, let alone the mental state he needed to be in for this project. Taehyung sighed.

I want you to use something from the ordinary everyday, something people wouldn’t think twice about. But I want you to convey it from the onlookers’ point of view, as precious or extraordinary from their eyes. That was the professor had demanded. But Taehyung had never really thought about things, things that weren’t so attractive or alluring, that they didn’t demand the attention of every person who laid eyes on them. He liked things like that. People that were so spectacular, their essence flowed, oozed off of them, making them irresistible.

It wasn’t that he pursued outwardly gorgeous people, or that he had shallow intentions, per say. He just enjoyed beautiful things and beautiful people. He saw people as art, and art came to life in his every day. He was always trying to find his muse in one thing or another.

One might even argue he was one of those beautiful people, one of the most exquisite pieces of living art. He never really thought about the people in the background, so indistinguishable they were barely silhouettes on a page. In life, from middle school—elementary even—into college he had been the feature highlight, the centerpiece, almost. Wherever he went, people just gravitated towards him. It was all he had known. And he didn’t really seem to mind.

Frustrated with the assignment, he dramatically sighed to the paper, fiddling with his pencil before he looked up for what felt like the thousandth time. But then he saw her. He saw you. With your brows furrowed in concentration, sending waves of intense synergetic energy with your glare towards the computer screen. Taehyung laughed in amusement, that same goofy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. But then, what he thought was an indestructible focus was suddenly broken, as he saw you sneak an almost nonexistent glance towards the barista boy. And his eyebrows raised in partial-curiosity, partial-surprise.

Taehyung, a contemplative look resting on his face, came to a sudden realization. And then, with this newfound sense of purpose, he began sketching.

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A/N: wow i’ve been meaning to post this, cause i’ve been excited about this♥ not exactly sure where this story headed, as far as character development, but i’m looking forward to what avenues i may end up exploring (hopefully with constant fluff included). plus, it’s kinda become my baby, haha.

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→ preview // chapter one // next

→ "coffee shop boy” playlist

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