Stranger | Jikook/Kookmin

7 | Costume Box and a Pair of Boxers

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Jungkook frets with the iron button of his denim jacket, trying to unroll a random white fur that flops from around it. He's not a big caretaker of clothes and such to notice such a frugal detail but impatience has got him fidgety, and here he is battling to get the stuck fur out of the button entrance.

"Sorry for making you students wait!", the cheerful voice of the tailor lady echoes from the crowded room behind the counter, catching Jungkook and Minji's attention immediately. Jungkook is at ease to see her excited about the costume reveal, though he can't say he is still not worried about it all being a fluke. 

He still can't believe they got him selected to be the mascot. 

The lady finally appears, barely fitting the huge box she is carrying through the door of the little room. She chuckles kindly at the concerned students hovering over her to make sure she is fine, waving their worries off by bring their attention to the matter. 

"Your costume is ready, dear. But I'll need to scan your barcode, as your university instructed me," she says pointedly, patting the dust off of her hands and bringing out a little scanner device. She looks Jungkook in the eyes. "You got one, don't you?"

Jungkook hurries a yes, almost dropping his phone in the process of showing her the barcode he got sent by Gidae University when he received the selection text. 

"Alright," the lady pushes her glasses down her nose, tipping her head back to make sure she is seeing everything right. She has an oddly comforting aura in the way she meticulously carries out her job; Jungkook supposes she has worked in partnership with Gidae for long years. "Not to be rude to you students or anything," she smiles at them briefly, making conversation as she scans the barcode. "There have been students who tried to steal the official mascot's costumes in the past, so I have to make sure I'm not tricked anymore."

Stealing. 

Minji and him exchange glances. Jungkook can tell she is feeling just as guilty as himself. 

But Minji is a business professional and she will play it off like Jungkook should have expected her to. 

"Oh my days," Minji laughs in pretend horror, a hand on her heart as she tries getting the lady's empathy. "How can students be so irresponsible?" Jungkook rolls his eyes. 

The lady nods towards her in understanding, though a small smile stretches her lips as she finishes the process and returns Jungkook his phone.  "I get them too," she says fondly, grabbing a scissors from one of the many drawers in her shop. "They want to make university adventurous, after all, you are only on your twenties once, isn't it?"

Jungkook feels sympathy bloom in his heart towards her. He smiles brightly when the lady unites eyes with him, laughing a little nostalgically. "I did all sorts of things when I was in college," she swats a hand in the air, getting Jungkook to join her natural positivity. "But these days it seems like I'm taking my turn doing the patrolling!"

Jungkook makes a mental note to call his grandma and ask how she is doing. The lady reminded him of his own loved ones, leaving a warm impression on Jungkook in such a short time. He thinks of paying the tailor a visit once in a while when he passes from there that day on, just because he feels bad for tricking her but also because he appreciates her open-mindedness towards the younger generation.

The big box is finally cut off with scissors, revealing the swan costume long awaited.

Minji helps Jungkook get it out of the box, and the two of them hold it firmly against Jungkook's reflection in the mirror, the lady disappearing into the same room she came from as they maneuver it atop his body.