Aespa Oneshots/Imagines

Karina: Here For You (Part 2)

Recently, Jimin was coming to class looking a lot more tired than usual. Although the morning greetings didn't stop coming, they sounded way less enthusiastic than what they normally were. 

You weren't exactly surprised since exams were around the corner and it was fair to assume that Jimin had been staying up late at night to prepare for it. You were doing the same thing too, taking fewer work shifts each week so you would have extra time to study.

However, something felt wrong. You felt like Jimin wasn't being her usual self for some reason. You hate to admit it but after nearly a year of seeing Jimin every school day without fail, you could sort of tell whether Jimin’s smile on any particular day was genuine or not and for the most part it was. 

She had the biggest and most genuine smile you’ve ever seen. Sure there were days when she didn’t smile as often but she always comes back the next day with a bigger smile and in a brighter mood. It was almost like nothing could keep her down for long.

For the past few days, it felt like Jimin was hiding something behind that smile of hers and that was quite out of the norm. She was smiling less frequently than expected so you wondered what was wrong. Was the exam stress getting to her or did something bad happen? You thought it would last for a few days at most but it was the end of the week and yet there were still no signs of Jimin regaining her smile. This made you slightly concerned.

You might dislike her for pestering you every morning and interrupting your peace but that was what made Jimin, Jimin. A cheerful individual that was always persistent in pursuing her goals. Now it seemed like it was going to take a miracle for Jimin to be herself again.

Another day of class ended and you were on your way to the cafe to work your last shift for the week. Even though it was tough to balance studying and work now that exams were approaching, you still thoroughly enjoyed working at the cafe. The place was like a safe haven for you. You were able to temporarily forget all about your worries in life and enjoy the moment which was doing what you liked.

Meanwhile, Jimin was about to head back home when she spotted you walking out of school from afar. She realised she forgot to say goodbye to you, something she did every day without fail since the little encounter in the cafeteria.

Hoping she could catch up to you to say her goodbyes, Jimin swiftly followed your trail. After a while, she lost sight of you. Feeling disheartened, Jimin wandered aimlessly along the road till she stumbled upon a cafe. “Has it always been here?” “Why didn’t I notice it when I have been walking past it every day?” Those were Jimin’s thoughts when she saw the cafe. Unknown to her, the place was also where you worked.

Jimin figured she would need a cup of coffee if she wanted to continue staying up late at night to study for the exams and there was a cafe conveniently in front of her where she could get it from. As such, she headed inside to get her drink. 

When Jimin entered the cafe, she was surprised to see you standing at the counter taking orders and making drinks. She proceeded to walk over to the counter to place her order and say hi to you.

“Good afternoon! How may I help you today?” You said as you saw another person approach you from the corner of your eyes. You were busy preparing drinks while manning the front counter, not noticing the girl in front of you.

“Hi, can I get a caramel latte to drink here? Thank you.”

"Sure thing. You can make payment here and take a seat first. Your drink will be ready soon and I’ll bring it to you then. Can I get your name?"

“Jimin.”

Your whole face turned pale upon hearing that name and you looked up to verify if it was really who you thought it was. You never expected Jimin to show up here. Now that she found out about your workplace, she probably would visit the cafe every day just to look for you and that spelled disaster.