Deal With The Pain | Namgi

Chapter 19

When the day finally comes to a close, I'm feeling more exhausted than I have in a really long time. Between the whirlwind of having that conversation with Namjoon and then how protective Jimin became afterwards, I feel like the day has just dragged on beyond what I thought was possible anymore these days.

Walking over to the door to the shopfront, I'm locking it up just as my phone begins to ring. I'm more than relieved to hear the sound, knowing fully well that it'll be my brother and that I'll finally have the chance to just talk everything through with him.

"Hey, hyung." I answer quietly, slipping the device between my ear and shoulder as I head back over to the counter so that I can begin cleaning up.

"Hey, Yoon. How're you doing up there?" Geumjae asks in that gentle tone of his. I smile lightly at the sound, already feeling myself beginning to relax.

"It's been kind of a stressful day in all honesty, hyung. I don't think I've been this tired since I left Daegu." I murmur as I pick up one of the wet rags to begin wiping down the counters.

"What happened, honey?" He asks softly, and I can hear the worry in his voice. I bite my lip lightly at the question, wishing it didn't all hurt so much.

"Joon stopped in today." I start, deciding to pause there. It's hard enough to talk about what's happened today, but I also want to see what kind of response my brother will have to this.

"How'd that go? How're you holding up?"

I let out a heavy sigh at this, placing both hands down on the wet countertop as I feel the tears beginning to form. My lips are already pouted and trembling, and I hate that I'm on verge of crying all over again.

"He confessed, hyung. He came in and apologized for how he'd been acting for the last few years and confessed. God, he looked so sad and sincere, hyung. I barely managed to get him not leave all over again just because I'm with Jimin now." I breathe out just seconds before the tears start falling.

"Oh, Yoon. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Yoongi. Are you okay?" Geumjae asks, tone saddened but worried. I suck in a breath at the question, pinching my eyes shut.

"I don't even know anymore, Hyung. Jimin was glaring daggers into Joon any chance he had and was all over me the entire day whenever he had the chance to be, even after I'd reassured him that I was content with him and that I wasn't running off to Joon. And, hyung, it just felt so shitty today being trapped between the two." I mumble out as I begin crying harder.

It had blown me away the way Jimin had gotten so distracted for the rest of his shift and the way he was trying to keep his hands on me any chance he had the entire time Joon was there. I've never once felt relief when one of my friends has left the shop for the day but it was the only thing I could feel when Jimin had left.

"Really? Jimin was all over you like that?" Geumjae questions gently, his worry only seeming to grow. I huff at this, nodding even though I know my brother can't see me.

"Yeah. I don't mind the occasional touches here and there throughout a shift, but it felt like any chance he could get his hands were on my sides or my hips and he was trying to hug me and just... I felt like I could barely breathe. And I know he was deliberately standing between me and Joon after he got off shift and continued to hang around." I answer quietly, rubbing my hands over my face in attempt to get myself to calm back down.

"Have you talked to Jimin about it, honey? About how he was acting and how it made you feel?"

I pout at this, knowing that it just hadn't been an option this evening. It was busy all the way up to the last half hour before closing, and I had only barely begun to be able to feel like I could breathe by that point thanks to Jungkook and Taehyung being on the ending shifts of the day. Namjoon had hung around for a while after our conversation but he eventually said he needed to head out for the night - he had homework he still needed to get done.

"No. We were slammed for the entire evening just after I finished talking with Joon, which means we really didn't have the time for him to be acting that way anyhow. He really even almost skipped his dance practice tonight because Joon hadn't left yet." I explain, taking a deep breath and running my hands through my hair before I start getting back to cleaning up the shop so that I can be done for the night.

"You need to talk with Jimin about that then, Yoon. I know it won't be an easy conversation but it sounds like it needs to happen. Otherwise, you aren't going to have the opportunity to repair that friendship with Joon and you're going to become miserable while working." Geumjae says, voice calm and gentle despite the worry that still seeps in.

I just sigh at his words, knowing he's right, even if I wish he desperately weren't.