A Caged Bird | Minjoon

14

namjoon walked into class, his anxiety shooting through the roof.

joon hadn't talked to jimin since their fight. he had tried calling the boy a few times, but he never picked up.

as he walked into class, his eyes immediately went to his and jimin's usual spot.

jimin wasn't there.

but, that was normal-

right?

joon always got there before him-

right?

so, without another thought, joon pulled out his phone to check the time. when he turned on his phone, he saw that he actually got to class a few minutes later than usual, probably due to nervousness.

"jimin should be here," he thought, looking up from his phone.

he glanced around the room, stopping when he finally laid eyes on the boy.

although, this time, jimin was sitting on the opposite side of the room from where they usually sit, with a few other boys their age, talking with them casually.

namjoon's mouth parted, a little shocked.

joon just stared at the boy for another minute, before jimin finally noticed him.

jimin just looked right through him, no emotion shown on his face, then went back to talking with the other guys.

namjoon just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do or where to sit.

he felt like he wanted to cry.

so, before he gained any more weird looks from his classmates, namjoon walked over and sat down beside areum and her friend.

-

after class ended, joon left in a hurry, leaving areum behind. he didn't want to talk about jimin and he knew if he stayed, he would have to explain what happened between them.

as he was walking along the street, namjoon came across the small café that he visited almost every day with jimin. he walked to the door and grabbed the handle- stopping when he realized his mistake.

going to that café with jimin was like second nature to him. it got to the point where he would just go to that café without even thinking about it. it's the one thing he always had to look forward to. it was just one hour of him and jimin together, talking and happily snacking on their danish and sipping their drinks. it was their routine.

but that's the thing about routines; they could never last forever. life couldn't go on the same for eternity, or it wouldn't be much of a life. sure, there are things in life that are constant; showering, changing your clothes, sleeping. but nothing is ever done perfectly at all times. nothing in life is ever constant and exactly the way one wants it.

or, at least that's what namjoon kept telling himself to keep from losing his mind over the entire situation.

so, without another thought, namjoon took a few steps back from the café and continued his path to class.

though, he still made sure to take a peek through the clear windows as he walked past.

joon saw the same waiter he would usually see there every day. he saw tons of customers in line. he even saw his and jimin's table. but this time, namjoon wasn't there.

it was just jimin and those other boys from their class. they were all laughing and having fun. jimin didn't even look the slightest bit sad.

either the boy hid his feelings well— or losing joon really had no effect on him.