Not a Monster /tk

Chapter 18

(no proof read)

Soon Jungkook left the cafe, as the door closed behind Jungkook, Taehyung leaned back in his chair with a sigh, a mix of emotions swirling within him. The conversation with Jungkook had been heavy and emotional, but there was also a sense of relief now.

He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze drifting over to Duri who was still sitting at the table, now lost in thought.

"Hey, baby," Taehyung said softly, breaking the silence. "You okay?"

"my appa, where is uncle chim?" Duri asked missing the presence of his appa's bestfriend. Taehyung too was wondering the same thing, he haven't seen Jimin since yesterday morning.

"I'm not sure, bun," Taehyung replied, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Uncle Chim is probably out somewhere. But he'll come back soon, don't worry."

He studied Duri's expression, noticing the hint of disappointment on the little boy's face. He could tell that Duri missed Jimin, and likely didn't quite understand his absence.

Just then the bell rang and Taehyung's eyes widened at the sight of Jimin entering the cafe. The guy looked awful, his hair disheveled, eyes swollen and dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept a wink.

He also couldn't help but notice the weary expression on Jimin's face, the way his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. Something was clearly wrong.

Taehyung stood up, concern etched on his face. "Chim? Everything okay?"

Jimin looked up, his eyes meeting Taehyung's. There was an uncharacteristic weariness in his gaze, a hint of strain around his eyes. He didn't answer immediately, pausing for a moment to collect himself.

"Yeah," he replied gruffly, though his voice betrayed his exhaustion. "Everything's fine. Just... didn't get much sleep last night, that's all." Saying so Jimin directly went to Duri as if he was avoiding eye contact with Taehyung.

Taehyung watched as Jimin interacted with Duri, his heart feeling heavy with worry. The dark circles under Jimin's eyes and the weary look on his face told a different story than his casual tone. But Taehyung decided to not push it right now, not in front of Duri at least.

He smiled though when he saw Duri's excited chatter slowly brightened up Jimin's mood, the kid's energy and innocence breaking through Jimin's weary demeanor, if only for a moment.

After working for few more hours, they closed the cafe. As they walked home, Taehyung kept shooting glances at Jimin, his concern for his bestfriend growing with each step they took. There was definitely something off about his behavior, but Taehyung couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Finally reaching the apartment complex, he ushered Jimin inside his appartment, his eyes never leaving his bestfriend's weary form.

Taehyung immediately helped Duri change his clothes, the little guy hopped into his bed. Taehyung decided to let duri sleep for sometime. The kid was obviously exhausted from his long eventful day's activities, and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, his tiny form tucked under the covers.

Once Duri was asleep, Taehyung returned to the living room where Jimin was sitting, looking drained. The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken worries.

Finally, Taehyung spoke up. "You know I can tell you're not okay, right?" he said quietly, his voice filled with concern. "You look like hell, Chim. What's going on?"

Jimin sighed heavily, the weariness in his eyes and body even more apparent in the quiet of the room. He ran a hand through his messy hair, avoiding Taehyung's intense gaze for a moment.