graveyard shift // pjm [completed]

assorted balloons

Jimin drove home quickly to change his clothes and eat. He fixed his hair in the car and put his vest on with newfound pride. He strolled into the store and set up his station. After tending to a couple customers, he strolled the aisles for a snack for Nari.

His eyes scrolled lazily over colorful labels and skimmed the ridiculously high fat and sugar content.

He nearly tripped over his shoes when the doorbell rang, ripping him from his daydream.

He skipped to the counter to greet the customer. It was a nice looking man with his young daughter who waved up at Jimin as she disappeared behind the first aisle. He smiled at the back of her head.

The man carried the little girl who started to cry when the man refused to buy her a piece of candy. The man apologized to Jimin who had to raise his voice over her screaming to tell the man his total.

"That's okay, I babysit my niece sometimes and she cries just as loud." He let out a loud laugh, thinking about memories of his niece.

The little girl quieted her crying and removed her head from the man's shoulders to look at Jimin.

"Hi!" Jimin waved hello. His cheeks pulled apart in a smile, his eyes smiling genuinely as well. Her face also showed a smile, which made Jimin giggle.

The little girl reached her hand out and touched Jimin's cheek. He flinched out of habit, but then started laughing at the little girl's grip on his face. The father apologized again and pulled her hand away.

"What is your name, sweetie?" Jimin cooed as she retracted her body into her father's shoulder.

"Seejun." She said in a sweet tone that sounded familiar in Jimin's ears.

"Seejun!" Jimin repeated. "That's a beautiful name. Well, Seejun, what are you doing up so late on a night like tonight?"

"Appa and I are going on a roadtrip!" She wiggled in his arms, her small raven black ponytails wiggling also.

"We're going up north to visit her grandparents, we've got a few hours to go." He clarified.

"Well, you better sleep in the car so you're not tired when you get there!" he said cheerfully.

"I promise!" She said in a small voice and a large grin.

The dad thanked Jimin and walked through the door. Jimin looked down, smiling, to organize the bills. He heard the father say "Excuse me." Jimin looked up, but he wasn't talking to him. It was Nari. She stood just inside the door, standing with her weight on one hip, arms crossed. She had a smug smile plastered on her face, but her eyes said otherwise. She looked stunned, almost as if she was marvelling at Jimin's ability to get along so well with children, and how it was so incredibly attractive that he enjoyed it.

But she would never let him know that.

She came on different business.

After the night Jimin left her house, she went inside and thought for the night. A long, sleepless, night. She wasn't sure how he would react, or what he would say, but all she knew was that a part of her wanted to be with him. Nari was good at hiding her emotions, but she wasn't sure if she could with this situation. She felt as if she could be vulnerable with Jimin. But, how did she even know that she could be? She just met him. And that terrified her.

How did I fall for him this quickly?

She walked to the counter and jumped up to sit on it. She was facing away from Jimin, which made it a little easier to say what she was thinking. She looked down at her legs, which were crossed at her ankles, swaying back and forth. She took a deep breath, then started to speak.