A Still Day or A Hurricane | Jungkook

Part 42

"Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see the day when Atty. Kim ___ would be openly and shamelessly flirting with one of my own," Hobi smirks as he sits across from you in your favorite corner at Blue Side, laughing as he watches you bite your lips and hold back a smile while Jungkook tries to show off his coffee-making skills, smirking as he goes.

"And you, little angel," the cafe owner continues, tickling Heejin who's in a high chair. "What do you think of your Mama being all giddy about it?"

"Oh, she's getting used to it. Getting used to him, actually," you reply, cocking your head towards Jungkook who's now boxing some eclairs for a to-go order but who cheekily smiles at you when he catches your eyes again.

"And how does that make you feel?" Hobi asks, sipping the iced americano he can't go a morning without. "Also, can I just say? I love how you're not denying anything. About time."

"Okay, well there was nothing to deny before," you correct, but feeling good that you're able to properly talk about this with Hobi. "You know how things were for me, and Jungkook just didn't fit into it. He was okay with being my friend but I knew he wanted more and I couldn't give him that."

"And what about now?"

"I think I can. This little angel and I finally can," you smile, mirroring your friend's sweet and infectious one.

"Who would've thought that my impulsive Singapore trip that one year would lead me to meeting Jungkook in the hotel where he interned and I got to snatch him up... only for him to, well, be my best asset and also be the reason why my favorite customer is as happy as she is right now," he chirps.

"You're glowing, ___. And Jimin says the same. I'm so glad it's working out with you and Jungkook. I won't say I'm not surprised because the kid is relentless, but he cares about you and Heejin so much. It makes me emotional just thinking about it."

"And why is that?"

"Well, you know how he is. Jungkook is a ball of joy and innocence - for the most part, at least - and he's just always taken life so lightly, so carelessly, searching for that next high, content with what he finds and what he loses. But ever since you and Heejin came around, things started to matter more for him," Hobi narrates, like a proud older brother.

"He likes to joke around all the time but with you taking him seriously, trusting him, believing in him... that did a lot to him. Like he could be someone that another person can truly depend on, that they can trust, that they can one day love."

You take in your friend's words, thinking that as someone who'd taken a chance on Jungkook and who'd watched him grow professionally at this cafe, through the ups and downs of the job and what he had to go through because of you, this means a lot for him, too. Hobi and Jimin have always been cautious talking to you about Jungkook, not wanting to take sides nor push something to you knowing how you are. But with things looking up for you and the cheeky pastry chef, it seems that there's more openness on their end this time.

And Hobi is right. Jungkook likes to enjoy things. He likes to have fun and treat life like a wave that he rides through, like he can just get back to the surface if he falls into the water and he'd be laughing as he gets up because it was a pretty amazing wave. And you like that about him; you like that confidence in himself that he'll be okay whatever happens, that what matters is he even gets to experience something remotely beautiful, and somehow, you get to watch him do that.

He elicits a certain joy that's child-like in a way but heartwarming, too. And he has that sense of wonder all the time. Whether he's talking about some cave he explored during a trip somewhere, or narrating his multiple failed attempts before making the perfect napoleon, or going to a nearby beach to watch the sunrise, he looks at the world like it's the first time he's seeing it. And he makes you want to look at the world that way, too.