Magic Shop

Part 13 - The Old Friend

Jimin awoke later than usual the next morning, having struggled to sleep the night before. For a while he didn't get up despite knowing that opening time had already been and gone. Hearing no movement from above, he assumed that his colleagues had done the same and had decided to have a lie-in. Eventually he hauled himself out of bed and got dressed up smartly, expecting another uneventful day of work, and entered the front room. And there he was.

He was tall and slim-waisted, with long, muscular limbs and a strong jaw which could have cut diamonds. His hair was long and dark and had been swept into a hair tie at the back of his head. One of his arms had been decorated with an elaborate sleeve of tattoos, and he wore a leather biker jacket and several chains around his neck. He looked so intimidating that Jimin almost retreated back into his bedroom, but stopped himself when he realised who the powerful-looking man was.

"J-jungkookie?!" the receptionist gasped. The stranger turned away from the painting on the wall he had been studying, and broke into a wide, toothy smile.

"Great to see you again, Jimin!" Too shocked to say any more, all Jimin could do was swerve past his desk and dart towards his old friend, eyes already brimming with tears of relief. Jungkook opened his arms and enveloped the smaller man with ease, hugging him tightly.

"I thought you weren't coming back!" Jimin managed to utter through his tears.

"Why would you think that?" Jungkook laughed. "I promised I'd remember. I did struggle at first, though. Switching between worlds can be extremely disorientating."

"I'm so glad you made it back," Jimin sniffled, laughing slightly as well. They came out of their hug and grinned at one another, then turned to the double doors as they opened suddenly.

"Jungkookie?" called Seokjin, who had just entered the room.

"What?!" came a second voice.

"Jungkook?" came another.

"He's back?"

"He's back!"

"Finally."

The five doctors swarmed in and stampeded towards the old friend, laughing and shouting as they all clustered around him and pulled the surprised pair into a group hug as tight as the one they had shared five years ago.

"Wow!" cried Namjoon, seeing that the youngest was now almost taller than him. "You've grown so much, Jungkookie!"

"Look at those muscles!" exclaimed Taehyung, jealousy in his eyes. "That is so not fair. Why can't I be the strong one?"

"I told you that you should have taken my dancing classes," Hoseok tutted.

"Hoseok," Yoongi groaned with a deadpan expression. "No one enjoys dancing as much as you do – trust me."

"Well," Jungkook chuckled. "I certainly missed this!"

"How's life been without us, Kook?" asked Seokjin, pulling the youngest down onto the sofa next to him. The rest of the friends followed suit and turned to Jungkook expectantly.

"Pretty boring," he admitted. "My other friends were nowhere near as fun as you lot, and they weren't that bothered when I told them I was leaving for good. I spent the first day making sure I'd remember to come back, so they were a little weirded out when they saw the five extra, makeshift calendars on my wall!"

"How did you get so muscly?" Taehyung questioned him, still looking at his arms in envy.

"Just... by working out, like everyone does if they want to get stronger or fitter," Jungkook replied, turning to the doctor in puzzlement.

"Yeah, Tae," smirked Yoongi. "That means you have to get off your behind and do some work for once."

"Says the one who refuses to get out of bed," Jimin retorted.

"I don't want muscles!" Yoongi answered, trying to create an excuse.

"That's no reason for you to be lazy and slack off on housework," Hoseok grumbled.

"Are you sure you missed us?" Namjoon checked with Jungkook, who nodded amusedly.