A/B/O || Jinkook

58. Back from the depths

It's been about seven months since Seokjin and I started our break. Things have honestly gone quite smoothly. I've managed to go back to school and catch up on all the work I missed, I've even managed to earn back a spot on the swimming team, albeit that I'm not allowed to participate in any competitions. I feel pretty great overall. Slowly but surely my heart has been healing with me. All seven of us still live together in the upstairs apartment and because of that I've been able to see Seokjin every day in a more healthy manner. 

He seems to be doing better and better too. After my collapse, he quit his job and since then he's been working his butt off to start his own café. It opened it's doors for the first time a couple months ago and it's been doing fairly well so far. I try to help out whenever I can, but Seokjin only allows me to be there for about 30 minutes before he forces me to go home again in hopes of me not getting too tired. I worry about him being there on his own sometimes, but he's a strong person and I know he can take care of himself.

For the first time in my entire life, I can confidently say the same about myself too. I can comfortably stand on my own two legs without relying too much on someone else. Sure, I'm still financially unstable, but at least I've achieved the mental stability that I've desperately needed for so long. I love being with Seokjin and the other guys, but I realize now that I'm fine being on my own too. I don't need anyone's approval. All that matters is that I can be proud of myself. And I am. I've come a long way and I've learned from my mistakes. Namjoon said it was important to love others, but I need to love myself too. He was right of course. Living your life for someone else won't get you anywhere. Putting myself first has made me stronger than ever and when the day comes for me to get back together with Seokjin, I know I can be a good partner to him. 

I smile to myself at the thought of officially being with Seokjin again. I know I see him and talk to him every day but I really miss the closeness we used to have. But even though I miss him, I feel like we've somehow gotten to know each other better this way. It's like we don't take each other for granted anymore. 

I hear the sound of the front door opening and I take a peek around the corner in the living room to see who it is. As I expected, it's Seokjin who's back from working at the café. He immediately notices me and greets me with a nod. He has a couple grocery bags with him, so I decide to help him out by carrying one them to the kitchen while he takes his shoes off. 

"JK, it's fine," he says. "Don't overwork yourself."

"Hyung, please, I'm feeling better than ever. I can handle carrying some food."

He enters the kitchen after me and I can feel his eyes on me while we start unpacking. I've worked up some more muscle these past months and it doesn't go unnoticed how he ogles me from time to time. My formfitting white t-shirt is doing me a favor right now. 

"So, how did your training go today?" he asks.

"It went great. I'm starting to catch up with the others again. Soon I might be allowed to enter some competitions."

"That's good. So long as you're not pushing yourself too hard. I remember how you said you used to cough blood because of your training before."

"Don't worry, it's not like that anymore. It's all within reason. How was work?"

He shrugs.

"Fine. Although I guess something interesting happened."

"What?"

"Some dude came by and wanted to buy the entire business. He said the café is in a good location and that if I work with him we can make three times the profit. Gave me a pretty good deal on it."