𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐘

27

With her gaze darting between Taehyung and his friend, Bora stood beside the table. The man's intense gaze caused her to feel a little puzzled. Taking note of her expression, Taehyung laughed quietly and then reached out to lightly tap her arm. "Yah! Would you mind taking a day off? I came to see you, right?" he asked, grinning broadly.

Bora thought over what he had said, pressing her lips into a narrow line. "I had already considered it before you did!" she joked. "I'll ask the manager when he gets here; he's not here yet." It was clear that she was determined, and Taehyung nodded, amusedly lighting up his eyes.

Taehyung's friend kept watching Bora while they conversed, his admiration for her obvious in his eyes. Something about the way he gazed at her evoked a mixture of interest in Bora. She wondered why she was so captivating to this stranger and couldn't quite get rid of the feeling.

Even though the café was bustling, time seemed to slow down in that corner. Bora's mind was racing. Although she had always been assured and self-assured, she felt strangely exposed to the intensity of the man's stare.

"Taehyung! Where are you taking me today?" With a beaming smile, Bora enquired.

"Wah! I really believed you wouldn't be here today. It feels like we've been waiting for an hour." Rubbing his arm where Bora had pinched him, Taehyung expressed his displeasure.

"All right, all right! Did I not yet tell you his name? You've probably heard it before." Shaking a hand to indicate his friend, Taehyung spoke. Bora's expression showed confusion as she glanced at Taehyung and the stranger.

"Jungkookie?" Taehyung prodded, waiting for a response from Bora. She turned to face the man, and her eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Jeon Jungkook, isn't it? Oh my god, Taehyung used to mention you all the time when we were in school. I can't believe we never met before!" Bora exclaimed.

Nodding, Jungkook laughed. "It's actually the same here. He wouldn't stop talking about you when we went to play. My ears were constantly bleeding."

His remark made Bora giggle, and she suddenly felt more at ease with the newcomer. "Well, Jungkook, it's good to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you too."

With a giggle between them, the three of them started out on their day, their initial uneasiness melting away as they planned to have fun.

"When we came to the bar, I saw the cops coming inside. So, we waited for them to clear out, and I saw you talking to the victim. I told Jungkook that you were the one. That's when he went to talk to you because I wanted to surprise you anyway," Taehyung explained, recounting the events.

"Jungkook-ssi, I can't believe I haven't seen you before. Have you seen me?" Bora enquired, clearly curious.

"I honestly can't recall. I might have seen you, but I wouldn't know for sure. I don't usually see Taehyung with you, but I do see him in the evenings," Jungkook retorted. Though only she was aware of it, Bora nodded, following after buried recollections of a boy.

"Ice cream!" Suddenly, Taehyung yelled, causing them to both jump.  "Why didn't you bring Joonie with you? I miss him so much,"  As Taehyung busied himself buying ice cream for the three of them, Bora exclaimed.

"If he hadn't had exams, he would have joined me here." Taehyung replied, "He's been missing you too," and gave them their ice cream.

The talk became more casual as they savored their delicacies. Excitement and nostalgia mixed together for Bora.

"I saw Jimin the other day!" Taehyung's words attracted Bora's attention. "Have you spoken with him?" she inquired. Taehyung gave a headshake. "No, why would I? He was just taking his car for a drive somewhere. I saw him just," he clarified.

Bora gave a contemplative nod. "I've had a feeling for so many years," she said, looking at Taehyung with a look of astonishment in her eyes. "What?" With his eyes growing in curiosity, he questioned.

"You mentioned something to Jimin, for sure. You spoke with him when he was bothering me" Bora charged, her gaze fixed on his.

"What on earth are you talking about? Specifically not for you, I didn't say anything to him," Taehyung said, rolling his eyes and averting her sight.

As Bora read Taehyung's face, she remarked, "You are definitely lying," a smile playing on her lips.

"Ah, why doesn't she believe me? If I'm not with you, I'm always with Jungkook. Ask him, he should know if I talked to Jimin or not," Taehyung urged, glancing at Jungkook. But in a split second, his eyes widened as he read Jungkook's face.

With caution, Jungkook remarked, "Taehyung-ah, I don't think you're talking about 'him'." Immediately, Bora's gaze shifted to Jungkook.

"What? Who? Which 'him'?" She moved toward Jungkook and asked.

"It's not him!" In response, Taehyung moved to stand himself between Bora and Jungkook, towering over her in a protective manner. "He is referring to another person." Taehyung said, while Bora's eyes still not believing his words.

But Jungkook's words made Taehyung close his eyes in frustration. "Isn't his name also Jimin?" Jungkook asked, his voice barely a whisper.

With a sigh of defeat, Taehyung dropped his head. With wide eyes, Bora moved past Taehyung to go to Jungkook. "What did you talk to him about?" Bora insisted. With trepidation, Jungkook cast a quick glance at Taehyung, who had already turned his face away.

"I don't really remember, we didn't talk much," stumbled Jungkook. Bora looked down, disappointed, and sighed.

Without warning, Jungkook said, "I just punched him." Bora's head sprang up, her curious eyes expanding. "Have you actually punched him? Where? How many times?"

"Like a couple of times. I punched his face and abdomen." Jungkook said, while Bora suppressed a laugh.

"But why did you punch him?" Curiosity sparked in Bora, who questioned. Jungkook turned to gaze to Taehyung for encouragement.

"I don't know. I was asked to punch him. Taehyung promised to buy me tteokbokki if I did. So I did," Jungkook said. With a chuckle, Bora wiped a tear from her eye.

"Wow, you guys are amazing," she remarked, continuing to giggle.

"Yah! Why did you tell her?" With a yell, Taehyung gave Jungkook a quick blow to the stomach.

"I'm not sure. Her eyes were really intimidating," admitted Jungkook. Bora smiled to herself, trying not to stare at him.

"I knew you must have done something like this!" With a playful embrace on Taehyung's shoulder, Bora spoke. Relieved that the tension had subsided, Taehyung laughed.

Grinning, Jungkook observed them, sensing the spirit of friendship in the air. Bora looked up at him, her eyes gleaming. "I'm thankful. You truly made me laugh so much," she exclaimed.

 "You can buy me another tteokbokki, and I'll go punch him again wherever he is." Jungkook teased, making Bora laugh even more.