withered || jikook [discontinued]

sixteen.

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Sometimes I wished I've never met him,
Wished I've never befriended him,
Wished I've never fallen with him.

I should've known that it would all end in bitterness,
That it would be like any other typical breakups,
That forever does not exist.

But I still hoped.
Oh I hoped alright, too much apparently.
I kept going for it though knowing that it wouldn't work out,
Though knowing that a breakup would happen and I would get hurt.

But did I listen to myself?

Of course I didn't, if I would I wouldn't have ended up with this mess.

Despite knowing the consequences, I kept going.

Despite my instincts telling me to stop, I kept going.

And when I thought that love bloomed, it withered along with its petals.

And there's no going back.

---

"I will not eat this crap on my plate and I want a refund right now!!" The lady in front of the cashier shouted at Jungkook as all eyes were pointed at the two.

It was a hectic day and Jin hyung, Namjoon hyung, and Hobi decided to be sick. So only Yoongi hyung, Jungkook and I were left to handle the bustling cafe.

I haven't been feeling well lately but still forced myself to come despite the worsening cough. I ended up having to wear a facemask to prevent infecting others.

And it was a good thing too, because the cafe was slowly getting orders while customers kept flying in.

I looked worriedly at Jungkook who just flinched and kept bowing his head as an apology, "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't give refunds unless we did a mista-"

"Oh so you're saying you made no mistakes!? Well think again! This tart is so sour and bitter that I'm SURE it is rotten!" She cut him off, slamming her hands on the counter.

Yoongi hyung was about to approach the lady as I held him back to signal that I'd deal with her. He scoffed but stayed put as I walked towards the two.

I could see that Jungkook was afraid and didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth several times but no words slipped out.

I decided to speak up for him since he was still so shocked. "We're very sorry, ma'am, but that is how the tart tasted," I calmly said with a fake friendly tone as I stood behind Jungkook. But oh boy was I so close to choking this lady in front of me.

"Are you doubting my sense of taste? I've tasted it and it tasted spoiled, so give me back my money!" She spat, glaring at me.

"Like I said, the tart IS supposed to be sour and bitterness is also another uniqueness of the dish, but that doesn't mean that it's rotten. And I'm sorry, but you should've asked more about the dish before ordering one and throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old. If you don't like the dish, feedback would be very appreciated but not in a way where you make a ruckus. But for your information, we checked our ingredients every morning to ensure that it is fresh," I said, trying not to lose my cool as I gripped my hands on my side, "and do consider that you're embarrassing yourself. Everyone is staring, so please do yourself a favor and stop."

The lady in front of me just stayed quiet and glared at me before stomping out of the cafe.

I sighed before taking a deep breath and smiled although they couldn't see it, "we're very sorry for the ruckus just now, you can return to your activities in peace now. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

A few seconds passed and the customers minded their own businesses again. I looked to Jungkook who was just staring down at the floor, supposedly still in shock after his first scolding on the job.

I sighed softly and asked Yoongi hyung, who was done with his work, to cover the counter for a while. He just nodded as I brought Jungkook back to the kitchen to make sure he's alright.

"Jungkook, are you okay?"

He kept looking at the ground and just nodded. I bit my inner cheek wanting to comfort him more but my body decided not to as I started coughing.

It seemed that Jungkook whipped his head up to look at me but at that moment, I could care less.

"Hyung, I'll get a glass of water. Stay put," was what I heard as he immediately went to grab a glass.

But all my mind focused on was the pain on my chest.

Along with a scent of flowers.

♢♢♢

//yes I know this is a short chapter and I know that I didn't update for like,, 3 months,,,, but tbh the actual reason I haven't updated is bc I no longer ship jikook that much now?? I know it might be shocking but I guess I'm over that "shipping phase",,,, but dw I'll still finish this story bc I really like the plot and concept of the hanahaki disease au. This story will keep going until it's finished ♡♡ and I'd also like to say thank you for still reading this story altho I rarely update it;;;;; I really appreciate it and hopefully I can finish this story by this year