•honey• || KookMin

35. Life in order

"You think I'm going to let a sixteen-year-old girl work in my store? With no experience whatsoever-"

"I-I'm fifteen yet..."

"Look, kid, go back to your parents and in a couple of years come back. Until then, scram."

Jeonggoo gives a groan Why is it so complicated to get a damn job! She thought that being exploited for labor was bread and butter in Seoul. Chases after the owner of the tattoo parlor. It's medium, people working, some others listening to the drama that Jeonggoo puts on.

"I can do anything!" Jeonggoo insists as she breaks into the pass. "I-I can clean, tidy up, bring you food-whatever! I need the job and... and..."

"Go-from-here."

"Please! Y-you don't have to pay me yet" The woman raises an eyebrow and Jeonggoo knows she accomplished something. "I want to b-b-become a tattoo artist, I need to see how it works-"

"Do you draw? Did you bring something?"

Jeonggoo takes out her briefcase and out of nervousness she drops a lot of papers. Those watching laugh, they feel sorry for her. Although Jeonggoo has a lot of money, she already set it aside for something else: rent, electricity, water, food for Bam, she plans to go to a therapist to continue her treatment, and she needs a job! Jeonggo has ruled out studying. Maybe not in this lifetime. The woman turns the pages. It's a very good drawing.

"Not bad" she admits taking a couple of sheets. "You'll be a receptionist this week. If you do well, you stay. Oh and clean up." she orders taking the two drawings with her. Jeonggoo thanks with a pronounced bow.

In the end, those two drawings were left as part of the tattoo catalog, though unlike others, it has the store owner's signature. Jeonggoo says nothing, content with the chance to be here.

~ * * * ~

"What if someone sees her?"

"You could get a tattoo. It won't be noticed."

Taehyung caresses the place where Jimin has the scar. The cuts were so deep that it was unfortunately scarred. Jimin stops in her practice because she sees them. She feels that she is being looked at because of it and no longer knows what to do to cover it up. Taehyung pats her back.

"Hey, don't be distressed," he asks with a soft smile. "The more you make a big deal out of it, the worse it will be."

"It's huge and it shows I know it's there and they might not take me into account because of that!" contradicts Jimin to Taehyung.

"They'll take you into account because you're a great dancer, Yoongi already recommended you; even Idols have recommended you" Taehyung remarks. "Listen" He takes her hand and squeezes it affectionately. "Your body is beautiful, indifferent to marks, scars and what happened" Jimin sniffles and lets out a breath. "If they don't accept you, others will. You're talented, you're applied, you're smart, you're perfect and a simple scar can't be a hindrance. Not now that you're so close."

"What if I'm not really close?"

"Then you will be next time, but you'll make it, you'll make it!"

She hugs Taehyung who laughs, Jimin seems to shrink, lately he can hide her with his body. It doesn't occur to him that because he is exercising, he is the one who is growing. He pats her back affectionately and is surprised to hear a murmur from Jimin:

"I miss Jeonggoo so much."

"I guessed as much."

As much as he rages at Jeonggoo, he can't deny that they, at least Jimin, had a very special connection. Almost impossible to understand. He thought Jeonggoo was the same way because of the way she looked at Jimin. How silly she would get when having her around and so on and so forth. As if somehow, them not being together now is inconceivable.

However what else can be done if Jeonggoo didn't choose her?

~ * * * ~

So are you happy now?
Finally happy now? Yeah
Well, I'm just the same
I feel like I lost everything

She takes a deep sigh, watching Jimin sing. Her eyes with yellow eyeliner and wearing a white dress. Small headphones and a different place than she usually occupies. It looks like a nicely decorated room.

We dance under the orange sun
Together with no shadow below us
No separation was meant to be
Let's meet at the memory that was once beautiful

Jeonggoo shakes her head from side to side. It's one of her favorite IU songs. It was on the album Jimin bought for her. One of the many things her girlfriend gave. She didn't think she could like it any better....

Or that her favorite singer would be overshadowed like this.

Forever Young
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
If I'm in this kind of nightmare, I promise I won't wake up ever again

Jimin smiles and the camera focuses on someone else. Jeonggoo frowns.

Island, yeah, this is an island, a small island we made together
Yeah, mm, forever young, the word "eternity" is a sandcastle
Saying goodbye is like a disaster alert
I miss you when the morning comes
Let's both pass this aeon
We'll surely meet on this island once more

"Ah, sure..."

Jimin continues to sing with Yoongi beside her. Jeonggoo's eyes widen as she notices one of the drawings she gave to Jimin on the wall. One of the many and-

"Girl! Go buy coffee and something to eat!"

"Coming!"

Put the cell phone away and run off to do what they asked.

~ * * * ~

"YES I DID!"

Yoongi gives a weird squeal and Jimin hugs him, before being knocked down by Taehyung and Hosook who join in the same. There was the misfortune that the exams coincided with auditions to look for backup dancers. Turning down the furor a bit, they realize that Jimin has at least four proposals. Two she knows, one is Yoongi's; the other two she has no idea what they are.

"If I'm a dancer, will I still be a stylist?" Jimin asks.

"I don't think so.

"Ow, too bad, but ONEUS uses a lot of female dancers! I could be with them!" she says excited and well, it's the first time in months they've heard her prattle on so much about possibilities, which artist is where.

"You can agree to be part of the dancer agency too. That way you can also function solo, do Covers and that kind of stuff with whatever production they give you." proposes Yoongi and Jimin shrugs smilingly.

Possibly she didn't let her parents sleep from everything she told them on call.

~ * * * ~

"You're going to use this to practice. First make it simple, then we'll progress through the different ways of making tattoos, also the textures and shapes. It will be after working hours."

Jeonggoo nods enthusiastically. The store owner, out of the blue, offered her to start with practice in order to make tattoos. First she told her that she should try tattooing on her own hand with henna, test her pulse; do it on apples or firm fruits; pig skin-she doesn't like the idea-and after that, she would rent her a station and let her be one of the options.

Jeonggoo is aware that this could take months to learn and she doesn't care, she wants to do it! She feels very motivated. That day she is out hopping around, playing with Bam who already has a place in the store. She tells her therapist, buys something for a nice dinner and opens the notification that comes in.

Minie95: The biggest giant on the planet♥

Blink repeated: Jimin has a picture with Wonho. She looks too dressed up to be a stylist's thing. During dinner and after her thousands of cell phone checks next to the TV, she finds that Jimin is one of the soloist's backup dancers. A happy, goofy smile emerges on her face.

She came close to commenting a congratulations to her, but again kept herself at bay.

"Did you see? Your mommy's on TV." Bam barks and wags his tail, receiving kisses from Jeonggoo on his head.