Fun Boys

XI

A bell chimed quietly when Taehyung entered the flower shop. "Cute." He smiled to himself. He walked around for a while, looking at flowers and trying to see which ones were his favorites. As soon as he decided on the purple Orchids, that same bell rang again. He looked up and smiled brightly, expecting to see Jimin.

Instead, it was only another customer. He looked down at the orchid sadly. It had already been an hour past their meeting time and the shop owner was getting antsy.

He stayed for a few more minutes before realizing that Jimin probably wasn't going to show up. Taehyung walked outside into the sunlight, squinting his eyes at how bright it was. He walked back to his car slowly, not really being able to see anything in front of him. He felt a warm body press into his for a brief second before being pushed back forcefully.

Taehyung took a step back, looking for the perpetrator. He saw a red haired boy in front of him, looking confusedly at a piece of paper and muttering to himself.

"Is that...?" Taehyung got closer and called the name of the person he'd been waiting for. The boy whirled around at the sound of his name and gasped, seeing Taehyung in front of him.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I c-couldn't find this shop!" He showed Taehyung the paper.

"Aish. You wrote down the wrong numbers. You're on the right street. Wrong store, though." Taehyung laughed. He looked at his brother. "Hey. Come with me. I want to show you something."

---***---

"This is my favorite place in all of South Korea. Our dad took me here a lot after you and Mom left. I have a lot of good memories here," Tae explained.

Jimin looked around the area, taking in the peaceful nature. He felt entirely relaxed for once, serenity surrounding him. They were in a large field overlooking a big lake. There were few boats scattered in the water. The trees lined the bank of the water and the flowers sat beautifully nearby. The scene was breathtaking. He could see why Taehyung enjoyed it.

He took a deep breath and let his eyes wander until they landed on Taehyung again. "So how is he?" Jimin asked, catching Taehyung's eyes. "Dad, I mean."

"He's good. He and I are still pretty close despite how busy I am nowadays. I set aside certain days to see him. Maybe you and I could go together one day. Only if you want to, though!" he rushed out that last part, not wanting to scare Jimin away.

Jimin bit his lip. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"So how's mom, then?" Taehyung asked, sitting down in the grass by Jimin's legs. They faced the lake and watched a line of ducklings following their mother go by.

"I don't know," Jimin said honestly. He sat next to Taehyung and explained what he meant when the other boy gave him a confused look. "Her job called her out to America to work. One of her old coworkers and I became close. His name's Jin. He was at the signing with me. She saw that he was struggling financially after he left the job and offered him a deal. She offered to pay rent for an apartment, but only if I was allowed to live there too. She wanted me to stay and he would take care of me. She calls maybe once every month."

"Wow. That must be really hard for you. But at least you've got Jin. He seems to really care about you. What about that other kid that was with you?"

"Jungkook? He's my best friend. We met when I moved in with Jin, he lives in the same apartment building."

Taehyung smiled. "He was cute."

Jimin laughed bitterly. "Off limits."

The two were silent for a while, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere until Taehyung suddenly spoke. "I want you to come home with me."
Jimin's jaw dropped and he stared with wide eyes.