Our Little World - DahMin

Chapter 01

Park Jimin was going absolutely stir crazy. Since debuting, his schedule has been packed. He was either practicing or filming constantly, and even when he was at the dorm, he was never alone. As much as he loved spending time with his newly found brothers, he couldn't help but crave silence. Without music to dance or sing to, or the background noise of loud laughter. Even a few minutes of alone time would be enough to replenish his energy.

He had been greatly anticipating this morning - It was rare for him to have a few hours of free time in the morning. He decided a long time ago that he wanted to spend it somewhere quiet, with little danger of anyone paying attention to him, let alone try to speak to him: the library. Everyone had their noses buried in books, and there was minimal contact with anyone other than the librarian. With casual clothes, a hat, and a mask, he was quick to leave his house and embrace the fresh air.

It had been a while since he went anywhere by himself, and oddly enough, he found that he missed the company of strangers. Not to spend time with them, but to walk around among other people like he was just a normal guy. Though he was a bit paranoid at the beginning, he found that he wasn't getting any more than a sideways glance. He straightened his posture as he strolled into the library, taking in the calming atmosphere and the scent of books. With a kind nod to the librarian, he went on his way.

As he scanned through the shelves, he frowned as he thought about the last time he properly read a book. It was a hobby that he admired and found attractive, though he never seemed to pick it up quite as well as he would've liked. He never found out if the reason was because he never found the right book, or maybe it just wasn't the right hobby for him. Nevertheless, he was determined to give it another go. If anything could offer him solace from chaotic idol life, he thought immersing himself into a different world would be worth a shot.

After finally settling on a book, he sought out an empty seat. One that was away from the entrance and the bathrooms so there wasn't a lot of foot traffic, and preferably at a table alone. But it seemed that even 9:30AM was too late to get to the library on a Saturday, as most of the single seats were already occupied. He continued wandering around the building and was just about to give up when he came across a 4-person table with only one occupant. She had study materials littered across the table, and wore a big set of headphones as she furiously typed on her laptop. He glanced around, but it appeared that apart from sitting with this girl or going back home, he had no other options. And he was not ready to face Jungkook's boundless energy quite yet. With a sigh, he approached the girl and gently tapped the table to get her attention.

What he wasn't expecting was for her to look at him with such bright eyes. She quickly lowered her headphones to her neck, and for a moment he was worried that he had been found out. But the girl graced him with a smile that made him want to smile back, and he felt his worries beginning to lift off his shoulders. "Can I help you?" She spoke in a hushed tone, absolving him of his fears.

He couldn't help but notice how her dark hair contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. He cleared his throat before he asked, "May I take this seat?" He gestured to the seat furthest from her.

"Ah," the girl stood up to shift her items closer to her side of the table. "Go ahead," she nodded, taking her seat and placing her headphones back on properly.

Jimin took the seat, wincing when the chair got caught on the leg of the table. The table shook and the noise was just loud enough to turn a few heads. The girl looked up and he was worried that he'd disturbed her, but she wore a smile and quickly used a free hand to stifle her laughter when they made eye contact. "Sorry," he apologized as he took his seat. Opening the book, he cleared his throat and sat back to relax.

Or at least, he tried to relax. For whatever reason, his eyes seemed to keep finding their way back to the girl across the table. The way she bit her lip in concentration, how her eyes slightly widened when she read the questions, and how her left eyebrow quirked when she read through her papers. He never found the act of studying to be so captivating, but every simple movement made him want to see more of her.

He frowned when he got a text message from Taehyung asking about lunch. Not because he felt bothered by Taehyung, but because time had flown by, it was already lunchtime, and he hardly made any progress in the book he'd chosen. Though he did have the option to turn down the offer for lunch, he skipped breakfast that morning, and he feared that the girl would hear his stomach rumbling.

He took note of the page he was on before standing up. The girl stretched just as he stood up,  lowering her headphones once more as their eyes met. Jimin hoped that meant that she welcomed conversation. "You're studying hard," he took a chance and gestured to her cluttered side of the table.

She nodded, and he nearly sighed in relief. He wondered if she could tell that he was smiling behind his mask. "I have to. It's exam season, and my schedule's so tight, I have to study hard when I have the time. Did you like your book?" She asked, gesturing to the book in his hand.

"It's okay," he tried to cover up the fact that he hardly took in anything he read. Still, he knew that it probably wasn't the book's fault. Since he sat at the table, he hadn't been able to focus. "I'm not sure if I'll be continuing it. It doesn't seem to be clicking with me," he finished honestly.

The girl shrugged. "Well, not every book is for everyone," she reasoned, before suddenly gesturing to the abundance of books around them. "And it's not like you're short on choices."

Jimin chuckled and nodded. "Maybe I'll try a different book next time." 

"Well, if I'm here, you're always free to have a seat at my table," she offered.

Jimin, though overjoyed by the offer, was interrupted by the buzzing of his cell phone before he could even respond. He pulled out his phone just as the girl put her hands together. "Sorry," the girl apologized. "It looks like I'm keeping you. Have a good day," she said, putting her hands on her headphones. His window of conversation was closing.

"You too," Jimin responded, and the girl smiled and nodded before pulling her headphones back on. After a moment of hesitation, he turned away.

When Jimin got back to the dorm, he whipped off his mask and hat before mussing his own hair. As if on cue, he heard Hobi's laughter and Jungkook singing loudly to himself. Jimin chuckled as he pondered the difference in atmosphere between his dorm at the library. Both provided him comfort in different ways.

The dorm was loud and fun. With 6 other people cramped in such a small place, the boys had already bonded in a way that was unbreakable - and he wouldn't give that up for anything. At the same time, there was hardly ever a moment of silence. Even at night, several of the boys snored. Though he loved spending time with the rest of the group, he missed being alone with his own thoughts.

But the library provided a different kind of comfort that he hadn't even anticipated. He expected the quiet, and the opportunity to take in knowledge and build upon himself independently. What he didn't expect was the pleasant, quiet company of a stranger. Both were tending to their own matters, but were silently appreciating each other's presence.

At least, he appreciated her company. She was stunning. A hardworking student, from what he could gather - He and Taehyung only graduated from school a few months ago, so the difficulty and pressure of studies was still very fresh in his mind. His only regret was that he hadn't gotten her name. He could've peeked at her papers and seen her name scrawled across the top, but he didn't want to learn about her that way. Anything he knew about her, he wanted to hear it from her, in her soft voice.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Taehyung greeted Jimin as he turned a corner. He had a small towel to his head and was drying off his damp hair. "How was the library? Any interesting books?"

"Hmm," Jimin sighed. "Not really. But I'll keep looking."