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sope-and-shine · 2 years

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Maybe We’re A Movie | Part 2

-> Pairing: Jin x Reader

-> fluff // minor angst

-> Word Count: 11.4k

-> Summary: Living in the city far away from home, you tend to miss out on family news. So, when you return home for the holiday’s, all you plan to do is spend time with family and catch up on everything you’ve missed since your last visit. You expected the jabs at living so far away and the poking at your barren love life, but you don’t expect to actually find love. Meeting the town’s newest resident and baker, you find yourself falling for his charm and good looks. Everything about him is just so magical…but there’s something strange going on with him and his shop that you can’t quite place. Is it just your hesitation to let him be a Christmas fling? Or is it something more?

-> Warning(s): Taegi side pairing, yoonji and hobi side pairing, mild language, lots of familial rough housing, teasing, constant poking and prodding about relationship status, typical ‘when are you going to settle down’ trope, talk about yoongi’s shaky coming out and love life, very Hallmark-esque

a/n: I was gonna wait to post this and then i changed my mind

Part 1 || Part 3 || Part 4

The conversation from the night before definitely reminded you why you left home in the first place. The nosiness, the ruckus, the ‘do this for your family’ mentality. You love your family, but they can be overbearing. It always feels like you’ve been in a wrestling match and all you can do is hold on until time runs out. At least being home gives you a chance to sneak into town without anyone to bother you.

You stroll through the park, occasionally spotting folks here and there that you haven’t spoken to in a while. They all look so happy for the holiday season. Some are just here on break from their extended degree programs, some have just come home to share time with family - much like you - and others are home to show off their new family additions.

When you were in high school, you always thought you’d meet someone at college. Then, when college finally passed with no one to spend intimate moments with, you figured you’d meet someone at work or at least in the city. But your career took off faster than you thought it would, and suddenly there was no time for you to even look at strangers passing by on the street.

Do you enjoy others and their families? No. But sometimes you can’t help but think about how right your Mom is.

Along your journey, you find yourself walking towards BE, Seokjin’s store. Its storefront isn’t as brightly lit as it was when you passed it the other night, but the window decor is still just as lively as it was then. The architecture and the exterior designs are practically the same, but the new paint and signage seem to give it a whole new life.

You walk over to where the stairs are to enter the facility and take the ramp up instead. You’d seen the ramp’s addition on your last visit home, when Mrs. Goo was still the owner of the bakery. Instead of the plain french doors with the simple ‘Goo’s Bakery’ sign, it’s been replaced with a white door with a ‘B’ and an ‘E’ in gold on each window. In smaller writing below those are the words ‘Maison Products’ that are also in gold.

“Homemade Products…” You read to yourself. No offense to Seokjin, but you didn’t really see him as the homemade knick knack kind of guy. Only one way to find out, though

You enter through the door on the right, stepping into the warmth of the shop. It has that woodsy, pine scent with a hint of popcorn and cookies wafting through the air. It’s a comforting scent, one that feels like home even if that’s not what your home smells like. The store itself looks like something out of a movie.

Unlike the bright exterior of the storefront, the inside is covered in neutral tones. The floors are still the original that Mrs. Goo had when she ran the store, but the walls are all painted a dark, forest green instead of the light blue walls. There are shelves along the walls filled with possible Christmas presents, decorations, cards, and loads of items to become stocking stuffers. There are even a few tables where some people sit eating baked goods and enjoying hot drinks.

“Hi! Welcome in!” You turn to your left where the registers are, right next to the baked goods. A man with blonde hair, a white shirt, and a red apron walks out from behind the counter with a tray of bagged popcorn in various flavors. He smiles, “We’ll be with you in just a mome-Agh!” The poor man trips, sending him - and the popcorn bags - to the floor.

You rush over to his aid, “Hey! You okay?”

The clumsy man pushes himself off of the floor and onto his knees, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine! Just clumsy, that’s all.” You help him up.

“Namjoon!” Jimin - the employee from the other night - comes running from somewhere else in the store. He stops when he sees Namjoon dusting himself off with your help. “Oh, you tripped again. And we just finished wrapping the popcorn too…”

You pick up one of the various bags and inspect it for any imperfections, finding none, “For what it’s worth, I think the popcorn is still together.”

Jimin picks up his own bag and he inspects it as well - nodding in agreement, “Yeah, it does look pretty okay.”

Namjoon takes the bag from your hands, “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem, Namjoon.”

“I’m Jimin.” The pink haired employee extends his hand to you and you gladly shake it, “I haven’t seen you around here before. You new?”

“No, I just don’t come home unless it’s Christmas or something big,” You explain, “My name is Min (Y/n).”

His face light’s up in recognition, “Oh! Jeongguk’s older sister! So, it was you in the passenger seat the other night when he stuck his whole upper body out of the window.”

“That’s me.” You laugh.

“He talks about you a lot,” he mentions, “Not to spoil anything, but he comes in to grab a gift for you at least 2 times a month.”

“That sounds like my brother.”

The front door bells chime as someone walks in, “I’m back with the flour!” You turn your attention to the confident store owner you’d met the other day. He has a huge bag in his arms resting over his right shoulder. As soon as he steps into the store, his eyes seem to draw immediately to Namjoon and his messy hair, “Oh, what do we have here? Did Joon trip again? It wasn’t cookies this time, was it?”

“Just the popcorn.” You assure him.

Jimin pipes up as well, “We sealed it all before he dropped it this time!”

“A nice improvement.” He nods in approval. He gestures to the bag in his arms with his head, “Take this to the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Jimin takes the bag off of Jin’s hands and makes his way behind the counter, Namjoon getting back to work stacking popcorn on the floor displays.

Jin turns to you, his approving smile turning into one of pleasant disbelief, “I didn’t expect to see you here already.”

You shrug, “I was curious about the hype,” You admit. You take another look around and smile, “I can see it though. You did a great job decorating and everything in your display looks delicious.”

“Thank you! That means a lot coming from someone who’s apparently a better baker than me.” He teases, “Say, you’re not trying to start a business against me, are you?”

You put your hands up in defense, “No thanks. I have a very good job that pays me very well.”

“Stability. That’s understandable. I respect that.” He looks around the store for a moment and then back to you, “Why don’t you let me show you around?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re busy enough as it is.” You try to protest.

“We’re pretty on top of our game today. Plus the breakfast crowd is slowing down. Besides, who am I going to get in trouble with? Myself?” He asks

“Well, when you put it that way…” You teasingly contemplate his offer, making sure to draw out your “thinking” before you respond, “Sure. Why not?”

“Follow me!” He smiles, gesturing with his hand to follow after him.

He takes you to the next room over. Several fake trees stand to make a pathway, working as product displays with prices at the top written on laminated stars. The walls are lined with shelving units, several of the shelves backstock for the trees on display and the rest housing other products like toys and knickknacks. The stairway leading upstairs is also decked out in garland and twinkling lights, large gold frames that showcase children’s artwork hanging above your head. The whole first room of the second floor is full of shelves dedicated to books, candles, and anything scented. There’s no strong smell that hits you like most stores, but there’s a light mix of smells that linger as you pass them. In the middle of it are 2 large tables, papers and buckets of crayons left obviously used in the center. The room after that is a waiting area for the bathroom and a door that most likely leads to the next floor.

“Wow, you really have everything.” It’s hard not to be impressed by everything. You’d hate to un-humble him, but he’s really outdone himself.

“With so many people having different tastes and interests, I wanted to make sure that I covered all the bases.” He admits, taking your compliment in its stride, “I even have a workshop upstairs.”

“I thought the upstairs was an apartment?” You ask. At least, it used to be when Mrs. Goo was still in charge.

“It was! But I have a wide variety in my stock, so I bought the apartment next door so I could expand a bit.” He explains. He looks around his store and you can just see the pride in his eyes, “It isn’t much, but I think I’ve really made it something.”

“So, can I go see?” You ask, obviously teasing the poor man.

He picks up on your teasing and smiles, shaking his head and holding out his arm to keep you from moving forward, “The upstairs is unfortunately for employees only.”

“I see. Understandable. I can respect that.” You jest, quoting him from earlier. He rolls his eyes and you laugh, “Well, the inside is just as gorgeous as the outside.”

“Thank you, that means a lot.” He says, seemingly very genuine. He’s definitely very playful, and you’re starting to think that his confidence is just an attempt to break the ice with others.

He suddenly claps, “Alright! Now that you’ve seen everything, why don’t we head back downstairs and you can try a cookie or two?”

“I thought you didn’t want me to try out the competition?” You ask, eyes playfully narrowing.

“A cookie or two never hurt anyone.” He states matter-of-factly, placing a hand on your shoulder and lightly pushing you towards the stairs, “Besides, I need to know if I can impress the master.” He leads you downstairs and back to the now empty bakery front, both Namjoon and Jimin sweeping up and tidying from their morning customers. He brings you to a table and pulls out a chair for you, “Madame~”

“Oh, how fancy!” You accept his gesture and take a seat, letting him push in your chair as well. You turn yourself to look at him, “Do you treat all your guests this way?”

“Just the famous ones.” He steps away to the treats counter, grabbing a plate and placing various cookies on it. They all come from trays that are almost empty or taking the last of a batch. Once he decides he has enough, he closes the display and makes his way back to you, “Now, what I have for you is a selection of our finest baked goods with a recipe so secret that even Gordon Ramsey himself couldn’t replicate them.”

You raise a brow at him, “You seem confident in that.”

“I’m always confident,” He assures you. He picks up a random cookie from the plate and holds it out to you, “And I’m also extremely confident that you are going to love these.”

“I guess I’ll just have to have a taste and find out.” You take the cookie out of his hand and take a bite. The cookie itself is chewy and moist, everything a cookie should be. You try not to let what you think tell on your face as you try a bite of each cookie on the plate, making a mental note of your favorite as you go.

Watching you eat and control your expressions seems to drive Jin crazy, and he decides he has to know exactly what you think about his baking, “Alright, enough with the poker face. What do you think?”

“I think - and this is on a scale of 1-10 - they are…” You pause for dramatic effect, “A solid 9.5.”

Seokjin’s surprised, “9.5?! Why not 10?”

You shrug, “There is always room for perfection.”

“Oh, yeah? And what are yours on that scale?”

“An 11, because I exceed expectations.” You tease.

He scoffs, “Oh, how nice…Did you get that off of a report card?”

“Every year.” You assure him.

“Likely story.” He crosses his arms and sighs, “I’ll take Jeongguk and Bora’s word and accept your answer for now, but I will try your cookies and put this nonsense to rest.”

You nod, “I’ll make a batch just for you.”

“Careful! Cooking is the way to my heart.” He warns. He gets this cheeky smile on his face and leans in, “You’re not trying to make a move on me, are you?”

You place a hand over your heart, acting as if you’ve been caught, “You noticed? There goes my plan of making you fall for me and taking over your store.”

“Well, I assure you I will keep your evil plans in mind as the season continues.” He says, chuckling to himself at your little game. You smile as well, taking a quick peek at your watch to check the time. 12:30. You’d be late if you didn’t leave now.

You start to get your things together so you can go, standing and pulling your wallet out of your purse, “I should be going now. My Mom will be starting lunch and then it’s family game night, but-“ You pause, unsure if you should admit you enjoyed his company today, “-it was nice getting to know you a bit more.”

“I hope today’s impression was much better than before?” He asks, very hopeful in today’s interaction unlike the day prior.

“It was!” You agree, finding him much less conceited and far more proud in himself and his business. But you can’t help teasing him, “Though, I am slightly disappointed I didn’t get any free pocket candy.”

He stands as well, “The cookies weren’t enough?” He asks, feigning shock.

You tilt your head in confusion, waving your wallet in your hand, “I was going to pay for those.”

“Oh no, this is a competition now. I expect your cookies in return before Christmas Day.” He explains.

“I guess I can make that happen.” You sigh, acting as though your compliance is a burden and not something that you’re now excited to do. He smiles and you laugh. You put your wallet away and slowly start to make your way to the door, “So…I’ll see you around then?”

“You will.” He follows you to the doorway and grabs the door handle before you get the chance to. He pulls the door open and takes a small, pre-packaged candy cane out of his apron to offer you, “Try not to miss me too much.”

“How could I?” You take the candy cane from him and place it in your pocket, turning back to the store to say goodbye to the others as well, “It was nice meeting you too, Jimin! Namjoon!”

“Have a good day!” Jimin calls out, peeking his head around the corner of the second room.

Namjoon stops sweeping to wave you off, “Walk carefully!”

You nod and give one last wave to Seokjin before exiting the store, pulling your coat tighter to yourself as you make your trek home.

Jimin gets down from his ladder and takes off his hat, showing off the pointed tips of his ears. He walks right up to Namjoon and hits his arm with his hat, “Walk carefully? Really?!”

Namjoon jumps back, “What?! She walked!”

“She doesn’t know you know that!” Jimin scolds.

Jin turns to the two elves, ignoring their arguing - as it is a daily occurrence - for a more important factor, “Have you two been eavesdropping this whole time?”

The two stop their fighting, sharing a look before Namjoon shrugs, “Maybe?”

Jin sighs and shakes his head, “Naughty. Very naughty.” With a quick snap of his fingers, the cookie dish vanishes from the table, leaving behind a glittering clean surface for their next round of customers.

——-

Christmas - according to most Christmas songs - was dubbed the most wonderful time of year. Now, it’s not entirely false, but it’s not entirely true either. Being cornered by your family is never fun, and an excuse for them to bug you is never a good one in your book. But family game night during the holiday season is easily one of your favorite holiday traditions.

Unfortunately, due to your family’s long history of “misunderstandings” and “mishaps” there is a lengthy list of games you’re all no longer allowed to play. Twister and Monopoly hold the top 2 spots on the banned list, having been banned since you were in high school. If Yoonji and Jeongguk don’t cool it this year, then UNO would be joining them as well. Thankfully, since Bora is still little, you’re able to stick to more simple and civil games.

Taehyung hits his blue button, “Rudolph!”

“Yes!” Bora cheers.

“No!” Yoonji cries, hitting the coffee table with the palm of her hand.

Your Mother thought that charades would be a good idea for Bora to stay involved. No cards to keep track of, no secret spilling, just the quiet game mixed with dancing. However, she had seriously doubted Yoonji’s competitiveness. Even worse, none of you knew just how good Taehyung actually is at games.

“Alright, that makes 10. Taehyung and Yoongi win!” Your Dad announces, clapping his hands so that Bora will congratulate them as well.

You join in and watch your sister turn to Taehyung with a deep scowl, “How did you figure that out?”

He shrugs, “She was making flying motions and patting her nose.”

“She was jumping and slapping her face!” Yoonji argues, unable to see how the motion could ever correlate to Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer. Your sister is quick to turn to her husband, “Babe, she was jumping and slapping her face-!”

“I know, Yoonji. Taehyung just speaks kid.” Hoseok assures her, still clapping for the winners of the game. He turns to his daughter, “Bora! Tell Mommy to cheer!”

“Cheer, Mommy!” Bora encourages, clapping her little hands even harder. Yoonji gives a dry clap, but Bora doesn’t think it’s good enough. She toddles over to grab her Mother’s hands and physically helps her clap for her Uncle and Taehyung.

You laugh as Yoonji reluctantly lets it happen, still butt-hurt over her loss, “Just give him a break, Yoonji. He wants 5 kids, remember? He has to be good at charades.”

“5 what?!” Yoongi questions, his eyes wide and full of surprise.

Your Mother laughs - remembering the conversation from the other night, and Taehyung turns to you with a look of betrayal, “Sh! Don’t spill my master plan!” He turns back to Yoongi and smooths out his hair, attempting to reassure him - even though he just admitted the truth, “Just ignore them, Yoongi, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Yoongi still looks as though his life flashed before his eyes, and your Father is quick to come to his rescue. He stands, “Alright! Let’s take a break and refill on snacks before we move onto Mario Kart!”

Jeongguk- your partner in the games - is the first to jump up and take off running, “Pee break!”

“Me! I have to potty!” Bora announces, dropping her Mother’s hands, “Number 2!”

Hoseok hears the drill and is up faster than Yoonji, “Oh no! Let’s go, Bora!” Bora takes off for the stairs and he follows after her, “Hurry upstairs!”

Your Father laughs and grabs some of the empty bowls off the table, Yoongi getting up to help him refill them as well. You, your Mother, Yoonji, and Taehyung remain in the living room to tear down from charades.

“So, what did you do today?” Taehyung asks, holding the small ziplock back for the topic papers.

“Oh, I walked around town for a bit, enjoyed the snow and the view. The peace and quiet-” Yoonji laughs at that, “Oh! And I went to see BE today.”

“Oh? Did you see anything you like?” Yoonji asks, definitely not talking about the products or the baked goods.

You shrug, “The store was cute. Pretty impressive really.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She reminds you, knowing very well that you knew what she meant, “Did you meet the employees?”

You nod, “Yes, I did. I met Namjoon and Jimin right as I walked in.”

“And Jin…?” Your Mother chimes in, showing up in front of you to take the empty bowl from you.

“I met him too.” You assure her, “He showed me around the store.”

“Your own personal tour?” Taehyung asks.

He raises his eyebrows in suggestion and you roll your eyes at the notion, “It wasn’t anything big, he was just being nice.”

“Okay, well, what did you think about him?” Your Mother asks, wanting to know more.

You shrug, not really knowing what to say that won’t condemn you. In all honesty, Seokjin really is nicer than your first impression of him. But you can’t really say that that’s made you fall as head-over-heels for him as they all seem to be hoping, “He’s nice. He’s definitely a charmer. I can see why the store does so well.”

“So you like him?” Yoonji asks, saying it as if it’s a statement and not a question.

“Woah, woah, watch it with the way you’re using that “like” word. I just met the guy.” You remind her.

Your Mother does nothing to help, she only encourages the idea, “Okay, well, you can still like someone you just met.”

“Okay, and I don’t. Jin is just a nice guy who wants to be nice to me because Jeongguk spends his entire allowance at his store.” You argue, knowing very well that any money your little brother gets is spent on video games or something he can eat. Knowing how much Jeongguk values your opinion, it makes sense that you would be the person to convince him not to go to BE ever again. ”If I’m happy, then Jeongguk is happy.”

“So, you don’t have any opinion on him?” Yoonji inquires, her eyes practically digging into you.

You shake your head, “Not romantically.”

“But you think he’s handsome?” Yoongi’s voice chimes in from behind you.

“I never said that!” You turn around and argue. He smiles at you and you can’t help but glare at him, “Why don’t you just go back to getting snacks, Mr. Grinch?” You tease, pointing out the Grinch sweater that he wears every year.

“Ha! You’re so funny!” He fakes laughs, pretending to double over from how funny he thinks you are - which he doesn’t. He backs out of the room, still pretending to be taken over with laughter, “I’m dying over here!”

“Dying on the inside maybe.” You grumble, glaring as his figure disappears into the kitchen. You turn to the other 3 adults in the room. If you don’t set them straight now, then they’ll never leave you alone. Then you’ll spend the rest of your trip plagued by random, forced encounters with the shop owner in question. “Listen, I didn’t come home or go to his store just to play the dating game. I’m here to spend time with my family and crush them at Mario Kart! Please, just let this whole dating nonsense go!”

Your Mother looks disappointed, and Taehyung just puts his hands up in defeat. Yoonji however, doesn’t seem as easily swayed. She walks up to you with her arms crossed and eyes you up and down, “I’ll let you slide for now, because I’m not going to let the Mario Kart jab go by me. But I know you’re going to meet a guy by the end of this year, and I’m calling it right now!”

Everyone drops the subject, but it lingers in the back of your mind for the rest of the night. Even as you get ready for bed, you can’t help but think about his broad shoulders and his handsome face. You’ve never clicked with someone right off the bat this fast. Even though he came off as somewhat arrogant during your first meeting, he took your punches and rolled with them. That’s not something you’ve had before. If anything, that’s something that Joy thought pushed people away from you. But Jin seems to enjoy the banter.

It’s too bad that a man like him is just out of your reach.

With Christmas right around the corner, the need to get everything done for Santa before he arrives grows more urgent. While most of the adults staying in your childhood home are there helping to get everything done, you’re distracting the youngest family member with a nice trip to the park.

“C’mon, Bora!” A little boy calls to her, halfway to the play set steps, but waiting for her to follow him.

She toddles after him, having to climb her way through the thick snow, “I’m coming! I’m coming!”

You’d have thought that someone would shovel the sidewalks or get rid of some of the snow at the playground, but all of it was left untouched when you arrived. The snow was so high that you carried Bora all the way to the playset before you made yourself comfortable on a park bench.

It took a couple swipes with your hand to get it wiped off, but you’re sure your butt is going to be wet and cold the whole walk home. But as long as Bora is entertained and happy, you can push through the 30 minutes that you’ll spend here. It’ll be nice to get a couple pictures to bring back to your sister.

You follow her with the camera on your phone, watching her play with the other kids at the park in her big, puffy coat. You wave to her, “Hi, Bora!”

She waves back and then all of the other kids wave at you as well. You wave more erratically until you notice a gloved hand waving next to you, “Hello, everyone!”

“Seokjin.” You say, finally taking notice of the tall man in a snow coat of his own. He has two steaming cups settled in a stacked cup carrier resting on one forearm, the other is still in the air waving to the playground children.

“Just Jin.” He corrects. He stops waving and grabs one of the cups from his carrier, “Hot chocolate?”

With a day as cold as this one, you’ll gladly accept a warm drink, “Thanks.”

You open the lid as he takes a seat next to you, blowing on it before you take a sip. He watches you the whole time, an almost expectant look on his face. He waits until you raise an eyebrow at him to say what’s on his mind, “Well?”

“Well, what?” You question.

“Do you like it?” He asks.

“I do!” You assure him. It’s honestly some of the best hot chocolate you’ve had, but you won’t tell him that, “It’s good.” You take another sip.

“Good! That’s from the batch I made in the mop bucket.” He says, taking a sip from his own cup. Your first reaction is to spit out the current sip you’d taken, wiping your mouth with the back of your gloved hand as he divolves into laughter next to you, “Oh! That was priceless! I wish you could have seen your face!”

“That was not funny!” You insist. Though, no matter what you say, he still finds it absolutely hilarious. Then again, if he were Jeongguk and he had played the same prank on someone at the house, then you would probably think it’s funny too.

But again, you’ll never tell him that.

You shake your head, “Okay, laugh it up all you want. I hope you get put on Santa’s naughty list.”

He scoffs, “Bold of you to assume I’m not on it already.”

“You’re right, my mistake.” You apologize, full of sarcasm.

“I made it in the kitchen in the shop before I left.” He admits, “I’m watching Namjoon’s brother and Jimin’s son while they’re at the shop.” He points to two boys - one about 12 and the other roughly 6 - that hadn’t been on the playground when you arrived, “They’re the spitting image of them, right? Pretty creepy when you look at them together.”

“Maybe a little...” Their heads are covered in hats and they’re completely bundled up, but you can see a small likeness from where you sit, “Then again, Bora looks like she was cloned in Yoonji’s basement, so anything is possible.”

“Did you come out to enjoy the weather?” He asks

“Oh, yeah! I’m really living it up right now.” You reply sarcastically, “I would get up and show you just how excited I am, but I’m pretty sure my jeans are frozen to the bench.”

He laughs, “I’m sure park safety will be out eventually to scrape you off.”

“That’s likely.” You scoff with a light roll of your eyes. You take another sip of your hot chocolate and turn to check on Bora again, finding her off of the playset and trudging through the thick snow in your direction. Her face is red from the cold, but she doesn’t look as if she’s going to let that stop her, “Bora, what are you doing?”

“I wanna see Jin!” She yells back, taking another step and stumbling a bit.

“You wanna see me?!” Jin shouts back, getting a nod from the determined little girl. He laughs with joy, “Well, let me give you a hand.” He sets his hot chocolate off to the side and gets up, stepping through the snow to pluck the practically swimming little girl up and into his arms, and bring her back to the bench with him. He sits her right in between the two of you, “Are you cold?”

“A little…” She nods, sniffling.

“Do you want some hot chocolate? Jin made it.” You tell her, taking off the lid of your hot chocolate to blow on it.

“Really?” She asks. She seems suspicious, but she also looks like she needs something to warm her up a bit.

“Yup! He made it just for you~” You assure her, hoping it will be just enough incentive to get her to have some.

She reaches her hands out and you let her take the lead, still holding onto the bottom of the cup to keep her from tipping it down the front of her shirt. She takes a nice, long sip and pulls away with a chocolate covered smile, “Delicious!”

“Thank you!” Jin reaches down with a thinly gloved hand and wipes away some of the chocolate around her mouth, “Are you excited for Santa to come and visit you?”

“Mhm!” She takes another sip.

“What do you think he’s going to get you?” He asks her. He seems genuinely curious, and it surprises you that he actually seems to care. Not many grown men would take the time to ask a child about their interests or their wants.

Bora shrugs, “I hope toys…”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of those.” He assures her. He turns to you, only his smile seems more playful, “What do you think you’ll get, Auntie (Y/n)? Have you been good this year~?”

“Oh, I’ve been a Saint.” You assure him.

“Really? Is that so?” He asks, “No traffic violations or warrants for your arrest?”

You laugh, “Well, there may be one or two, but I’m sure Santa will understand.” You joke, keeping the conversation light for Bora.

“I hear that Santa is very forgiving. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” He winks at you, making you giggle.

“Oh, I hope so. If not, I’m sure Bora will vouch for me. Right Bora?” You wait for your niece to pipe up like she normally does, but you’re met with silence. Normally, she’d be the first to your defense besides Jeongguk. You look down to check on her, “Bora?”

At some point in your conversation, neither of you noticed her rest her head against Jin’s side and close her eyes, falling asleep with her hands loosely holding the cup you’ve been holding onto.

“Looks like someone fell asleep…” Jin laughs, wiping away some more chocolate that collected at the sides of Bora’s mouth. He grabs the cup out of her hands and watches them fall to her lap, Bora only twitching slightly in her sleep. He holds it out to you, “Well, we’ll just hand this back to you then.”

“Thanks.” You take another look at Bora and take notice of her small shivers. You’d have to wrap up your conversation and head home soon, “Oh, looks like someone’s cold too.”

“Here-“ Jin is quick to unwrap his scarf from his own neck and place his over the one she’s already wearing. Then, he unzips his oversized coat and carefully picks up Bora from the bench, carefully placing her on his lap and tucking her into as much of his coat as he can. After being re-scarfed and tucked away, the only thing you can still see of her are her chubby little cheeks and closed eyes. “This is what big coats are for, right? Though, I guess yours would be to hide stolen goods.” He jests.

“Oh, definitely.” You agree, though not as playfully. You can’t help but notice how great he is with kids, and a pit forms in your stomach when you realize he has to have some kind of practice at this kind of thing. A man as handsome as him would have to have at least a girlfriend, right? It makes sense that he’d be tied down and just hasn’t mentioned it. You try to rationalize it in your head. Plenty of guys flirt when they’re married, but a lot of them would never actually take any of the offers. “Do you have any kids?”

“Oh, no! Helping Jimin and Namjoon is as close as I get to parenting.” He laughs.

“Really?”

“What? Surprised my handsome face hasn’t captured someone’s heart?” He asks playfully, using a hand that’s not holding Bora steady to accentuate his features.

“No, you’re just too good with kids to not have much experience.” You reply honestly.

“You think so?” He asks. He seems surprised, but you nod to assure him that you mean what you said. He shrugs, “Well, my dad works with kids year round, so I guess I just picked up on it.”

“Is he a homemade goods baker extraordinaire as well?” You joke.

“In a way.” He smiles, but you can see his expression change as he thinks about it more, “He used to make toys with his dad and deliver them, but he’s found that he likes delivering more.”

“That’s nice. It’s not everyday you find something you’re good at and love doing.”

Jin rolls his eyes, “Yeah, he doesn’t seem to feel the same way with me.”

“What? He doesn’t appreciate his son’s excellent social skills, his blooming business, or his decorating skills?” You ask, attempting to cheer him up with flattery.

“He doesn’t like that I don’t want to continue the family business.” He answers honestly, seemingly disappointed. Whether that’s with himself or his father, you can’t tell. Either way, this is a Jin that you haven’t met yet.

You can’t really say that you like it.

You tap his arm, “Well, tell him tough cookies!”

He shakes his head and sighs, “It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it is!” You turn to him, resting your arm on the back of the bench so you can make sure he sees and hears you very clearly, “I wanted a raise last month and I thought my boss would never give it to me. Do you know how I got it?”

“How did you get it?” He asks, figuring you’d tell him even if he didn’t ask.

“I told him I wanted one and the benefits. And do you know what he did?”

“Give you an extra 30 cents?”

“He promoted me to a higher position so he could pay me better,” You correct, “I’m doing a little more work, but it hasn’t changed the way I worked before.” You can see him thinking about it. It’s not an easy thing to do, but you’re no stranger to tough conversations with family. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the boys coming over through the snow and you tap Jin’s arm so he knows as well. But before they get too close, you make sure to finish the conversation with encouragement, “You should talk to your dad.”

“I’ll see.” He doesn’t seem confident in your suggestion, but he seems to accept it as an idea. The boys finally make their way through the snow, faces red and out of breath.

“Ready to go boys?” Jin asks, putting a smile on his face again.

“Yeah, it’s cold.” The older boy complains. Now that he’s closer, he really does look like Namjoon. You can imagine their parents get them confused all the time.

“And I’m hungry!” The smaller boy adds, his puffy cheeks and tired expression matching that of Jimin’s.

“We’ll take care of that when we get home,” Jin assures him.

You stand from your spot on the bench and stretch, “It’s probably best I get Bora home too.”

“Do you need help with her?” Jin asks, his eyes looking between you and the area behind you.

You wave your hand in dismissal, “I should be fine. Let me just grab her before you move.”

You bend down to carefully grab Bora out of his arms, hoping she stays asleep for you just as she did for him. You don’t notice Jin's gesture to Jimin to clear the pathway behind you, nor do you notice the sudden gust of wind that clears the walkway and blows snow onto unsuspecting children and previously clean cars.

You get Bora in a comfortable position on your hip with her head resting on your shoulder and turn around, taking notice of the suddenly clean sidewalk, “Oh, wow! I never noticed them clear the pathway.” You don’t remember seeing anyone clearing it, but you don’t tend to notice too much when you’re enjoying yourself, “I guess you do make pretty good company.”

“I always do.” Jin stands, zipping up his large coat to escape the cold, “Will I see you around again?”

“I am here for another week and a half, so I’m sure we’ll see each other in another day or two~” You assure him, much more excited for your next run in than you had been before.

“Great! I’m looking forward to it.”

“Same here.” You bid him goodbye with one last smile and make your way down the freshly clean pathway, adjusting Bora one more time for your decent trek home.

Jin watches you go, hoping that your next meeting will be very soon.

“Will I see you around again~?” Jimin copies, pitching his voice.

“Only in your dreams~” Namjoon jokes in his own pitched voice, both him and Jimin bursting into childish giggles.

“You’re both so funny,” Jin comments dryly. He waves his hand down to the tree above them, and a pile of snow comes falling down, covering both elves in a cloud. Jin smirks, “So, so very funny indeed.”

Anyone that wants to buy presents better than a knick knack will have to take the train to the next station over. That town has a large mall with much more options than your small hometown. When you were younger, Yoonji, Yoongi, and Hoseok would tell your parents they were taking you to the park, but the 3 of you would actually go ice skating instead. You never quite got the hang of it.

None of you did really.

“What do you think about this?”

You turn around to see Hoseok holding up a child’s dress covered in purple glitter. He has it pulled flat against his hoodie, and he has one leg pulled in front of the other like you’d just caught him doing something he shouldn’t.

“I think red is more your color, Hobi.” You reach behind him to grab an almost identical piece in red and hold it just off to the side and laugh, “Oh yeah! Red is definitely for you.”

Taehyung pops up beside him with a pink, velvet, long-sleeve dress with white trim, “I think this one matches my eyes.”

“Oh! Where did you find that?!” Hoseok grabs the dress from Taehyung and immediately starts looking for the size, “Bora would love this!”

“They’re right over there, that second rack.” Taehyung points him in the right direction and Hoseok is quick to make his way over there, “Don’t go far, I’ll be right back!”

“Good eye.” You comment, liking the dress he’d picked out as well.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s fashion~” He says, very confidently in the ugliest Christmas sweater you’d thrown at him this morning. He looks down when he remembers what he’s wearing, but he doesn’t let that tarnish his reputation, “My current outfit excluded.”

“Wow, I’m hurt!” You feign your offense, knowing very well what you had done to both him and Hoseok this morning. “Is this just a one time exception then?”

He shrugs, “Depends on the occasion.” He looks at the items in your hand and grabs at the hoodie hanging on your arm, “What have you found?”

“I was thinking about getting this.” You set down your bags from other stores to pick up the outfit you’ve been sitting on. Just a simple type-dye hoodie and sweatpants combo with a unicorn embroidered on the front of the hoodie and the pants, “Hobi takes her to his dance classes after school a lot, and I think she’d like it.”

“It’s definitely cute. It even has her best color in it.” He laughs, pointing out the smallest amount of pink.

“Yeah, pink is definitely her thing. Yoonji tried so hard to get her to like purple or yellow or anything but pink, but Bora just latched onto it like it was candy.” You still remember the day Yoonji called you on the phone to try and talk some sense into her daughter, but you just sat and listened to Bora list her favorite things with pink on them. You could even hear Hoseok laughing at Yoonji in the background and adding onto the list. As much as you don’t enjoy being questioned about your love life and when you’ll settle down, you have to admit that the thought of a tiny human that wants to tell you about their favorite things makes your heart just a little bit happier.

“Okay, they have the dress in Bora’s size, but they also have this one!” Hoseok comes to a stop. Not only is he holding the dress Taehyung had found, but he has a fully, pink sequined romper in his other hand. Under the slightly dimmed store lights, it already shines. You can’t imagine how it would look next to the Christmas tree, not to mention the sound that it’s already making on the hanger. “What do you think?”

You can only stare at it and think of all the curses that Yoonji could say about it, each one more colorful than the last, “I think your wife will strangle you if you buy that for Bora.”

Taehyung raises his hand and interjects, “I think it’s worth the pain.”

Hoseok uses the hand holding the romper to point at him, “I like Taehyung’s answer better.”

“That’s because you don’t want to hear reason!” You argue.

“What was that?” He asks. He starts moving back, grabbing the bags he’d sat down and trying to pull away to the cash registers, “I can’t hear you over the sound of my feet walking to check out my things!”

“Oh, you’re ridiculous!” You roll your eyes and Taehyung laughs.

You all check out the items your getting, adding more bags to your already full hands. You’d been to plenty of last minute stores today, and you weren’t even done yet. It’s a unanimous decision to have a seat while you still have a chance.

Your bags are placed at your feet, some tied to each other and others placed inside of other bags to ensure you don’t lose one. You lean against the back of the bench and sigh, “Taehyung, let me tell you, if you act anything like Hoseok when you and Yoongi get married, then I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

Hoseok lifts himself up and peers around from Taehyung’s other side, “What’s wrong with me?” He asks, as if he isn’t the person with the most bags.

“When Yoongi and I get married?” Taehyung reiterates. He sounds nervous, but also hopeful, “You really think he likes me that much?”

“As his best friend-“ Hoseok places a comforting hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, “If he likes you enough to bring you home, then commitment is not too far behind.”

“Yeah, Yoongi is not one to go outside of his comfort zone if he doesn’t have to.” You agree. You remember a high school Yoongi that would never talk about girls, never talk about his problems, and never go out of his way to do something if it didn’t involve his well-being, “If he didn’t have to tell our parents about you or tell our parents about himself or put himself in a slightly uncomfortable position, then he wouldn’t have. You have to be really special for him to take such big risks.”

Taehyung looks down, his smile disappearing, “Yoongi’s been terrified for this trip if I’m going to be honest.” He admits, “He almost called it off entirely.”

Hobi sighs, “Yeah, he called me about that...I had to talk him down.”

They both seem to have been thinking about this trip for a while. Out of everyone, Hoseok has always known about Yoongi’s preferences and who he is. Yoongi had told you over the phone when he’d first told everyone about Taehyung that he would’ve moved in with you, or stayed under Bora’s bed with Hoseok and Yoonji. You were very pleased to hear that your parents took the news well. Just knowing that Yoongi has someone like Taehyung thinking about him and his worries makes you all the more happy they’re together.

“I’m glad you did. I’m honestly having a great time with everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve been around family.” Taehyung says. He still seems to be in his own little world, thinking of a time that must not have been very easy for him.

You take this moment to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder, “Well, as long as you don’t break Yoongi’s heart, then you’re more than welcome to stay forever.” You offer, but you’re quick to add the fine print as well, “But if you do break his heart then I have to break your legs.”

“Both?” He asks. He looks down at his legs and back to you with puppy dog eyes, “Can’t you just do one?”

You shake your head, “Sorry, Taehyung. Both legs would have to go, it’s non-negotiable.”

He nods in understanding, “I’ll keep that in mind. You’re scarier than you let on. I thought Yoonji was terrifying.”

“She’s talked to you already?” You ask, surprised that she’d start her scare tactics so early.

However, your surprise seems to take Taehyung by surprise, “Not yet?”

“Sleep with one eye open, kid.” Hobi laughs, knowing just how scary his wife can be. Taehyung gives a nervous laugh, but you can tell both you and Hoseok have struck fear into him of your eldest sibling.

He’ll probably be fine though.

Probably.

Hoseok stands up, “Hey, watch my stuff real quick? I wanna hit the bathroom before we get back to shopping.”

“Yeah, sure.” You nod. You gesture for him to scoot his stuff over and Taehyung scoots over to help as well.

Hobi picks up the furthest bag and goes to pass it to you until it’s almost in your hand and he pulls it back, “No peeking.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” You reassure him, voice dripping in sarcasm.

“Mhm…sure.” He hands the bag over and scoots a few more bags over with his foot before jogging off to the hallway underneath the bathroom sign. You think he’s actually gone until his head pokes around the corner and he mouths ‘I’m watching you’ and disappears again. You can only shake your head at your ridiculous brother-in-law.

“Can I ask you something?” Taehyung asks.

“Of course, what’s on your mind?”

You think it might be something a bit more personal to Yoongi or even your parents, but you don’t expect him to ask about you, “Why did you choose cosmetic administration instead of following your dreams to be a baker?”

“Well, I went to school for business management. I did that for 4 years, and by the time I was ready to start culinary school I just-…I didn’t think I had the time anymore. And trying to start a business like that on my own in the city-?” You’d heard horror stories of people getting in over their heads and flopping after putting in everything to start on their own. You’d just spent years on your own, independent from your parents, and you couldn’t imagine losing everything and then having to go back to relying on them again. That risk just wasn’t worth the stress.

Even if you did take the risk, you’d been working at your company for two years. You’d worked your way up the ranks to a great position with great pay. How could you give that all up on a what if?

“It just wasn’t feasible.” You settle, deciding on a safe answer. It didn’t matter what you did then, because you can only focus on what you do from now on. A bakery is not that future, “The bakery was a child’s dream, and Cosmetic Administration is my big girl job.”

“But it’s not your big girl dream?” He asks, coming to a realization that you hadn’t made yet.

“No, I guess it’s not.” You let that sink in. Cosmetics was never the end game. Even administration wasn’t on the agenda, but it’s where you are now. You’re good at it! But it’s not necessarily what you want.

“Do you ever want to quit and start a bakery of your own?” He asks.

“Sometimes I think about it and what could have been if I just-…took that jump, but-“ You’d thought about it. You’d thought about it a hundred times and a hundred times over. You’d thought about how everything would be decorated, what you would sell, the way that you’d greet customers. But to you, that’s just a dream. It’s not achievable for you anymore, “-That could never be a reality.”

“Maybe.” Taehyung shrugs, “I don’t know…I don’t think it’s ever too late to do something.”

You let his words resonate with you, wondering if there’s really any truth to what he’s saying. But you don’t get enough time to sit it over, before Hoseok is running back and ready to go, “Alright! I am ready to get some more shopping done!”

—-

It’s just a little after 2 when you all get back. As soon as Hoseok parks his car in the driveway, Jeongguk comes barreling out of the house with his coat and shoes on.

“We didn’t get anything for you!” You joke as you get out of the car, but he doesn’t care. He careens right into you as he tries to come to a stop in your snow covered driveway. You have to grab his shoulders to keep him from running headfirst into the side of the car, “Woah! MMA fight isn’t until tomorrow.”

“No! We gotta go!” He urges, grabbing your hand and attempting to pull you away.

“Go where?” You ask, holding onto the car before he can just drag you away.

“To BE!” He yells, as if that itself is any explanation for his rush.

“Why?” You ask again, yet to receive a reasonable answer.

He drops your hand and turns with an annoyed look on his face, “Jin needs help!”

You’re confused, “Help?” Jin doesn’t seem like the type to need help.

“Come on! We gotta go!” Once again, he grabs your hand, but this time he’s much more successful in pulling you away.

“Jeongguk!” You take a look over your shoulder to Hoseok and Taehyung, but they’re both already unloading the car and waving you off.

You try to ask Jeongguk more questions on your walk to the store, but he keeps his answers short. Even as you get closer to the storefront, he’s reluctant to actually answer you. It isn’t until you get into the store and see the chaos that you come to understand his sense of urgency. You can see Jin at the front counter checking out customers and getting their goods in order, and you thought you caught a glimpse of Jimin in the other room a minute ago.

“Will you tell me what’s going on, now?” You ask, eyeing the people in the store around you as they bustle around you.

“Namjoon is out sick and they have a lot of orders today. They have their pre-ordered stuff ready to go, but they can’t keep up with stocking and baking!” He finally explains.

“Why didn’t you offer to help?” You ask him, knowing that both of his hand are very capable of stocking.

“I did!” He argues, “I wanted to help stock and bake, but Jin said I couldn’t help bake cause I’m not old enough, but you are!”

“You couldn’t have told me first?!” You ask, slightly annoyed that he couldn’t have mentioned what he was offering you up for.

“I thought you’d say no, and Jin really needs help!” He was right about that. Looking around the crazy store, Jin and Jimin really could use a hand to keep things going.

“Fine.” Jeongguk cheers and you grab his hand to drag him to the front of the line where Jin is still overrun with customers, “Jin!”

For the first time since you entered the store, he looks at you and smiles, “Hey! Just give me like 5 minutes-!” He looks up at the line that’s wrapped into the next room and awkwardly chuckles, “Make that 10. That’ll be $17.22, ma’am.”

“Seokjin!” You grab his attention again, his eyes shifting between you and the customer in front of him, “I didn’t come down here for cookies, I came down here to help.”

“What?” He seems almost in disbelief that you’d actually come around to help.

“Your number 1 fan here let me know you needed help.” You explain, ruffling the top of your brother’s head, “He can help Jimin stock your shelves, and I can get those cookies for you.”

“You both really don’t have to-“ He stops mid sentence when he sees more people enter the store and rethinks his decision, “-but I would appreciate it more than anything right now!”

“Go find Jimin.” You push Jeongguk in the direction of where you last saw the employee and move around the counter to help as best you can.

As soon as you get back there, there’s a wrapping station right behind where Jin is standing, “You can set your coat in the corner to your left.” He mentions, pointing in the direction of a small alcove without looking up from the register in front of him. You do as he suggested, just placing your coat where you assume Namjoon’s would normally go and your purse over it. “There should be 2 or 3 aprons back there hanging up. You may want to grab one for Jeongguk too.”

You look around the small alcove before you spot them under another coat. You grab one for yourself and throw it over your head, setting another over your arm to take to Jeongguk. Though, as soon as you step out of the alcove, you see your brother squeezing his way through the checkout line with his coat in his arms.

“Here-“ You throw the apron over his head and take his coat, “Tie it around your waist, and I’ll put your coat up.”

As soon as you get his coat up, you head for the back room you know as the kitchen. It’s spacious enough with 2 industrial fridges and 4 ovens, reference pictures of their decorations hanging just above the counter next to them. You can see that a few will be done soon, so you take the time to wash your hands and figure out where everything is. The fridge closest to the door is definitely holding their pre-ordered goods, several of the boxes have names, numbers, and itemized receipts attached to them. Their other fridge seems to have pre-made trays ready to swap with the ones in the oven as soon as they’re done.

By the looks of it, they’re running out of their pre-made trays.

You start by asking Jin what you can do for the few minutes you have waiting for trays to be done, wanting to find a way to ease the front line.

“Could you help package orders?” He asks, “I have baked goods and presents that just need to be wrapped up.”

“Sure thing. Which one’s first?”

“I need a dozen chocolate chip cookies and a bag of chocolate covered pretzels.” He orders. He takes a toy from an older gentleman and turns to wrap it himself, “The packaging is right under the display area and labeled, and everything is labeled on the back.”

“You got it.”

You work in tandem. You packaging goods as needed, grabbing pre-orders, restocking the display with what’s ready, or even wrapping presents while Jin types it all in, bags what he can, and collects payments. If there’s work you can split or he knows he can do something quicker than you can, then he tries to voice it to you. At least until you hear the timer go off and you need to switch out the trays. They need time to cool, but the amount of customers Jin has is entirely too unreal.

When it comes to decorating, you try your best to follow what Jin has without messing it up. You’re sure plenty of people might have a few messed up wreaths here or there, but you’re sure Jin won’t care as long as they get done.

“Do we have anymore sugar cookies?” Jin asks when you come out with a tray you managed to finish.

You shake your head and gesture to the one in your hands, “This is it.”

“Shoot!” You can practically see the gears turning in his head as he tries to decide what to do. He’s stressed, and you can tell he’s trying to stay as positive as he can and just roll with the punches. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, “Okay, let’s just hope no one else wants any after these go. Thank you.”

You nod in agreement, but you don’t want to disappoint anyone or let Jin feel like he’s disappointing anyone. If there’s one thing you’ve learned about him, it’s that he doesn’t aim to disappoint.

So you won’t let him.

You find his scale and his bowls, whipping up your own sugar cookie recipe to save time. You won’t have time to chill them, but you’ll at least be able to get another tray out within an hour and a half. You can only hope the other goods we’ll keep him afloat for that long.

You get back out to the front to help, just as Jeongguk comes up to the case to see if he can help.

Jin looks around and sighs, “I don’t think there’s much that you can do up he-“

“Can you take bakery orders from the line?” You interrupt, wiping your hands off on your apron.

He nods, “Yeah, I can do that!”

“Good.” You look around for a notepad and find one that’s labeled for a To-Do list. You take it and the pencil attached to it and hand it over the display, “Start 5 people from the front. Write their names at the top and tell them to tell us if they got any baked goods before we check out their other things. Bring me the lists when your done.”

“Got it!” He goes off to do as you told him and you get back to work, leaving Jin stunned.

“That was a really good idea.” He mentions, getting back into his groove or entering totals and bagging.

“Well, you seem a little stressed right now. I guess you’re just not on your game today~” You tease, taking a breakable item to wrap before he bags it.

Your plan with Jeongguk works right up to the moment that the stove timer goes off, but the line has decreased in volume by quite a bit. It gives Jin a chance to breathe before Jimin comes looking for Jeongguk to help him out re-stocking shelves again. The new store volume gives you a chance to cool and make a few more batches of what you’re running out of up front.

It’s a bit of a surprise when you walk out with a new batch of sugar cookies, and you don’t miss the look Jn gives you when you go to replace the old ones, “I thought we ran out of sugar cookies?”

“Oh, we’ve run out of a few things, but I’m making it work.” You assure him.

He shrugs, “You’ve been a big help up to now, so I guess there’s no reason not to trust you.” He has bigger problems to worry about than whether or not your cookies are actually good. If Jeongguk can vouch for you, then he’ll take it for what it is.

He can at least trust that they’re not poisoned.

It’s another hour of slow, diminishing chaos before the last few customers start to trickle out. Before you know it, Jin is at the door waving out the last customer of the day.

As soon as he closes the door, he turns the sign to ‘closed’ and leans his back against it. He looks down at his hands and groans, “I think I have paper cuts all over my hands.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” You add, showing off your own hands.

“Did you burn yourself?” He asks, noticing a particularly red area.

“Only once. It was when we ran out of brownies and that one customer ordered like 3 dozen.” He gives you a disapproving look and you throw up your hands in defense, “I ran it under cold water. It’s fine.”

“Yes but you shouldn’t have burnt your hand in the first place. Sit down.” You do as he says while he walks back to his register and grabs a first aid kit from beneath it, pulling out some gauze and ointment and bringing it back to you. He sits down and takes your hand in his, “You really saved us back there.”

You shrug, “It’s not a problem, Jin. It’s good to help out neighbors and friends.” You try to ignore how tenderly he holds your hand and how delicately he treats your wound.

“So we’re friends?” He asks, surprised.

“Do you not want to be friends?” You tease.

“No! I mean-” He stops before he almost drops the gauze he’s wrapping your hand in. He takes a second to compose himself and continues to dress your burn, “Yes, I want to be friends. I’m just surprised that you consider me a friend.”

You laugh, “Well, considering I spent about 6 hours of my free time just to help you, I think I‘d consider you a friend. I don’t do that for everyone.”

“Well, I appreciate it.” He tears the gauze at your wrist and sets it in place with some tape. He lets his hand linger, holding your injured one in his and gently squeezing it, “Really. Thank you for your help today.”

You look from your hand to him, feeling heat rise in your cheeks. You try not to make it obvious, but you don’t make any move to pull your hand away. You’re content to let him hold it just a bit longer.

You hear talking and footsteps behind you and quickly pull your hand away from his, missing the disappointed smile on Jin’s face. Right as you turn around, Jimin is walking in with a package and his arm over Jeongguk’s shoulder, “Have you tried her cookies yet?”

“Not yet, but don’t mind if I do.” Jin stands up from the table, taking the gauze and ointment with him to put it away and grab one of your treats.

Jeongguk takes notice of your wrapped hand, “What happened to you?”

You shrug it off, “Just a small burn.”

“Oh my god!” You all turn at the sound of Jin’s voice, wondering what could be wrong. You’re shocked to find him with a cookie in hand and mouth full of a chocolate chip cookie you’d whipped up. He makes eyes contact with you and his eyes narrow in confusion, “Why are you not selling these?!”

“I don’t own a bakery.” You remind him.

“You know, I know you’re here to be with family, but you could help us until Namjoon gets back.” Jimin suggests.

“Jimin!”

“What?! Her cookies are bomb and Namjoon is out until we close the shop on Christmas Eve!” Jimin reminds his boss.

“He’s right. Her cookies are bomb,” Jeongguk agrees.

Jin shakes his head, “I can’t just ask her to work on her time off for family.”

You shrug, “I don’t mind. It’ll give me something to do until Christmas Eve.”

“That’s not the point,” He argues, “I can’t just let you work here out of your own goodwill. I’ll pay you too.”

Now you shake your head, “Just make Jeongguk a tab and use what you would pay me for him.” You turn to your brother and stick out your tongue, “Consider this your birthday present.”

“Sweet!” He cheers, fist bumping the air.

“Well, if you’re sure, then I guess I will see you tomorrow morning.” Jin relents, figuring that he won’t be able to convince you otherwise.

“Bright and early?” You ask, standing from your chair.

He puts his hands up, “That’s up to you, but I’ll be here at 5.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You remove your apron from your neck and reach forJeongguk’s, “We should be getting home for dinner, but I’ll see the both of you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Jin stands and takes the aprons out of your hand, Jimin moving behind you to grab what you assume is your coats and purse.

“I hope you don’t mind me sending Jeongguk home with a gift for his work today,” Jimin says, offering your coat and your purse to you.

“I don’t mind,” You shrug, “He did a good thing today, even if he didn’t let me in on it until we got here.” You can see Jeongguk shyly pulling his coat on next to you, his ears turning red in embarrassment.

“Well, we definitely appreciate it.” Jin assures you. He turns to Jeongguk and waves a finger at him, “You make sure you and your sister get home safe.”

Jeongguk gives him a mock salute, “Yes sir!”

“Well, we’ll get out of your hair then,” You announce. You gesture for Jeongguk to follow you to the door and open it, letting him pass you with the gift he got from Jimin and turning once more to say a final goodbye, “The both of you better get some sleep.”

“Oh, we will!” Jimin assures you.

“You too.” Jin joins you at the door and pulls up Jeongguk’s coat hood and then your own, moving a stray hair out of your face before you can. He looks like he wants to say something, but it seems like he settles for a goodbye instead, “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah! Goodnight…” You step outside and pull the door closed behind you, waving one more time and turning to make your way home.

Thoughts of Jin flood your mind. How caring and hardworking he is. You think about how gentle he was when he’d found out you’d hurt yourself and try your best not to kick yourself over it. All he did was what any good person should, but the way he did it gave you butterflies. Even thinking about it now, you feel light and airy.

Maybe for once Yoonji was right? Maybe you would meet a guy before the end of the year.

Maybe you’ve already met him.

~Next Part: Read Here ~

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