𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 || 𝐕𝐌𝐈𝐍

「 𝟖 」

Park Jimin finally strutted out of the salon, running a hand through his freshly dyed silver locks. His outfit matched it well, a black shirt and jeans with a velvety jacket thrown on it, shiny diamonds studded at the back of the material, making people stop in their tracks to stare. Jimin took no notice of this and went off in his car to Taehyung's house.

He had washed and ironed the shirt, then folded it neatly into a rectangle, placed it in a paper bag and now it struck him that he had no idea how he was supposed to give it to him. He had forgotten his address.

"Stupid..." He muttered under his breath, pulling out his phone, leaving the engine of the car ignited. He didn't even save Taehyung's contact, let alone call him before.

"Seokjin?" He nervously called out.

"Yes Jimin, are you enjoying your day off?" Seokjin's happy voice lifted the corners of Jimin's mouth.

"Yes. I need to return something, so do you have Taehyung's address by any chance?"

"Address? I don't know, I need to check through the stack of personal profiles on my desk. I'll ask Jungkook to do it then. I'll call you when he finds it."

"Thank you, goodbye." Jimin sighed, leaning back on the leather seat. He glanced over to the paper bag, the Gucci shirt laid inside without a crease. His eyes fluttering shut, he thought yet again about yesterday's argument. It was dreadful, and he never wanted to hear it again.

He decided to drive home first, then return the shirt.

- // -

"Jungcook!" Seokjin called, making the younger's head snap up from his temporary desk where he was busy making notes.

"Yes sir!" The brownie gave a grin and hopped off his chair, straightening his shirt.

"Help me look through this stack of profiles and find Mr Kim Taehyung's document." Jungkook took the heavy stack and set it down, exhaling in shock. Seokjin bid farewell and Jungkook began his task. He found a few unfamiliar faces, probably because he hadn't met everyone in the department yet.

He found Jimin's profile in front of Taehyung's and since he had a little time, he started reading it silently, smiling away.

He realised Jimin was single. His birthday was on 13th October. He was from Busan, just like him! Apparently he had gone overseas to take university courses before returning with a master's degree. It was indeed impressive. His address was somewhere in this district; Jungkook didn't know as he was slightly unfamiliar with this area. He flipped over and started reading Taehyung's.

Birthday, 30 December. He was the same age as Jimin. His hometown was Daegu, and he had studied medicine for six years before getting a PhD, making Jungkook's eyes grow wide. He also explored the field of neuroscience, and Jungkook wished that he could be as hardworking as his senior. It wasn't every day you got to see a famous doctor up close, and work in the same operating theatre as him.

Jungkook jogged over to his boss's office, and passed the paper to him. "Mr Kim, here it is!"

Seokjin warmly thanked Jungkook and proceeded with other things, but Jungkook suddenly stopped him.

"Mr Kim, may I ask something about Mr Kim and Mr Park?"

Seokjin looked up, concerned. "Sure, is everything okay? Tell me anything, I'll be sure to whoop their backsides when I see them."

"No, but why do Mr Kim and Mr Park seem so angry always? Like, especially around each other. Is something wrong?"

"Well... They've held a grudge for quite a long time, ever since they started working in the same department. Jimin came first, then Taehyung, but the latter was more popular than Jimin since he had a PhD. But now they are equally rich, and patients usually call whoever is free to take the case." Seokjin gestured for Jungkook to take a seat. "You see, even the sight of Jimin can make Taehyung irritated, and vice versa. I think they are particularly angry because you have been transferred in as a junior, and they really dislike juniors. Agreed, the previous juniors aren't half as hardworking as you, and their attitudes can be really crappy too. I'm glad you made me think twice about sending juniors into our department." He gave a smile.

"But why are they even mad at each other?" Jungkook tilted his head.

"That, I am not sure myself. All these years of looking after those two, I hardly catch them saying a 'thank you' or 'goodbye' to each other. But," Seokjin leaned forward and Jungkook's eyes widen at the tea that was about to spill, "I have noticed small, even tiny things they do to care for each other."

"Oh my god." Jungkook gasped dramatically, sounding like an actor.

"They always use the same few operating theatres, and sometimes they don't have time to eat or drink in between surgeries, so one of them would buy two sets of drinks or snacks, one for himself, one for the other, and leave it there after the surgery. Then when the next one comes in, the other would have something to eat. I don't know why they do that." Jungkook's heart melted a little at the care.

"That's so sweet."

"There's more. Sometimes one of them forgets to bring a jacket to work and you know, the air-conditioning is pretty chilly in here. Sometimes the other would drape the coat over the other's chair when the latter isn't there, then claim that I put it there for him. Well of course, I see everything so I play along." Seokjin chuckled, and Jungkook nodded.

"But why do they care for each other when they hate each other?"

"There's this word both of them are really sensitive to, even though they are really hostile ar first glance. Patient." Seokjin whispered. "Sometimes they witness unsuccessful surgeries and trust me, it isn't nice to see someone dying on the hospital bed. When they go into a 'taking care of patient' mode, wow, they really take care of every single detail, plan every step the other takes before putting things into action. This comes from my own observation." The man smiled proudly, and Jungkook finally got a grasp of the situation.

Seokjin noticed Jungkook's little face of wonder, and added the last part. "Sometimes humans are complicated. Sometimes your reputation gets in the way, your pride, your mindset affects how you treat someone too. I think both of them are overly obsessed about maintaining their cold, professional side such that they forget how to love."

"You such like a psychiatrist, Mr Kim." Jungkook laughed, and Seokjin broke out in a smile.

"When it comes to matters of the heart, you can always come find me." Seokjin winked, adding an unnecessary pun in there. Yes, your author is very corny.

"Goodbye Mr Kim. Thank you." Jungkook bowed and retreated from the room, then Seokjin remembered that he still had to call Jimin.