For such a young guy, he seemed pretty cocky. "Basing on that fancy backpack of yours, I don't think you need this part time job as much as the other applicants, Mr. Jeon." Came to find out, his name is Min Yoongi and his parents own this cafe right outside the uni. MY uni.
I didn't get into my first or second choice of universities but ended up getting a partial scholarship at another one. This one is an hour away from home though and since we can't afford me getting into a dorm, I have to commute daily. Oh and I also have to work part-time because funds are limited, Joona is too precious and God forbid she has to pay for her uni expenses.
So there I was, wide-eyed and excited for uni life to begin; I applied for a busboy position at this cafe called 'April 4'. The uni was literally surrounded by cafes, budget restaurants and food stands but this one caught my eye. I was intrigued by the name.
"Mr. Min, I am just as needful and qualified as any other freshies for this position. This backpack was a gift and should not be an indication of my financial status" as I defended my applicant status. THIS backpack was my lucky charm; given by the love of my life and inside were printed copies of his email replies. Taehyung only replied to me three times, in which he called me 'my Kooks'. 'Course I didn't say that out loud.
Min Yoongi said "well, it's a busboy position, not rocket science, so you're in. Just try to prove yourself or whatever. I just don't have the energy to interview other applicants".
Just like that, Yoongi and I became good friends. He's two years ahead of me but was in the same Business Management program as I was taking. He barely spoke and looked at you like he's either judging you or just plain bored. Behind that careless facade, however, is a brilliant mind that runs a mile a minute. Yoongi somehow doted on me and shared his famous one-liners which I learned to value.
School and work was tough. The silver lining is that J-Min went to the same uni and would sometimes let me nap at his dorm room between my classes and work shifts. J-Min, as expected, made many friends and frequently went to 'April 4' with them. I started to suspect it was because of the snotty Yoongi. I swore I saw fireworks between them but neither one confirmed my suspicions.
On some rare occasions, J-Min, Yoongi and myself would drive up to the bay and watched the sunset. Very fruity thing to do, I know, but I loved those moments. We talked about our dreams for the future. J-Min would always be his usual sweet self, always seemingly happy. Yet, every now and then, behind that smile, I would catch a glimpse of sadness. Or uncertainty. Or fear?
Yoongi, on the other hand, would discuss his carefully laid out business plans. He was studying business but wanted to venture in Agriculture because his dream was to open a restaurant with personally cultivated crops. He apparently almost died from food allergies when he was young and wanted to find alternatives to GMOs.
"I will call my creation simply 'YoO". He proudly declared.
"Is it for Yoongi?" - J-Min and I said at the same time.
"Well, yeah but the last O stands for Organic".
"Oh" - again in unison.
"Not Oh....just O".
Those were great times.
