this is a continuation of  the taejin car thief short story

PART 2:

APOLOGY AND IMPULSE

The rest of the day was a blur. A hellish, stressful blur.

Jin got through work not really knowing how - working primarily on autopilot as his brain rudely interrupted his tasks with visions of the car thief.

That fucking car thief. The nerve of that man to raid the thoughts of Kim Seokjin.

How dare Kim Taehyung disrupt the delicate process of repairing such a huge office blunder with thoughts of warm sunlight glinting in his gorgeous brown eyes...

NO!

Jin shook his head to get rid of the train of thought as he walked back to his car, ready to just go home and have a glass of wine. ...Or something stronger.

He reached the same spot where he'd stopped in his tracks that afternoon, but this time, everything about his car seemed normal. The door was still shut. No one was inside.

Everything was as it should be. He unlocked the trunk and placed his bag inside before making his way to the drivers-side door. Running through his options for dinner, he hastily opened the door and sat when he heard the crunch of paper beneath him.

What the-

Jin shifted in the seat, pulling the paper out from under his body and saw what looked to be a note. He opened it up and scanned to the bottom of the page where he saw the name-

Kim Taehyung.

"THAT LOCK-PICKING, BANDANA-WEARING--," Jin shouted until he made eye contact with a woman who happened to be strolling through the otherwise quiet neighborhood, causing him to promptly shut the fuck up.

That fucker broke into my car to leave me a note, I-

Jin crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the seat next to him, started his engine, and drove home.

- - -

Pulling into his apartment complex's parking garage and into his assigned space, Jin leaned forward rubbing slow circles into his temples.

What a fucking day.

He glanced at the note crumpled into a ball on the passenger's seat and his curiosity got the better of him.

He flattened it out as best he could on the steering wheel and began reading.

Hello again, Jin,

I am sorry that I broke into your car today. As I said, if I had known it was your car I would not have done it. Although... if I hadn't, I would not have met you - so I'm going to rephrase my apology. I'm sorry I upset you by breaking into your car, but I'm glad I did and I'm glad you caught me.

Jin rolled his eyes and failed to fight back a smile. He continued reading in disbelief as the other man explained a bit about himself, where he was from ('Daegu') and what he did for a living ('or what I attempt to do for a living - which is singing. Clearly, I had trouble making ends meet, hence the return to extreme measures I learned on the streets of Daegu...' ) . Jin's logical mind was nowhere to be found as he felt a pang of sympathy for the thief and for a few fleeting moments wondered what it would be like for this Kim Taehyung to sing him to sleep.

Again, he shook it off and continued reading toward the end of the note.

My offer still stands, to take you out to lunch, I mean. Or whatever you want to do. I want to hear about you and your story. Please don't judge me based on... the whole theft thing (although I do COMPLETELY understand if you never want to hear from me again). I just have a good feeling about you.

And, yes, I am aware that in leaving you this love note I have broken into your car again. I tried to stick it under the windshield wiper but it blew away the first two times I tried. Also, I did not want just anyone to be able to read it.

Jin laughed aloud at the image of Kim Taehyung, the car thief, chasing a note down a windy street - twice. He returned to reading.

Anyway... if you want to respond you can leave me another note on your seat. I'll know how to get to it (HA!).

Or you know... you could leave me your number so I won't have to commit any more felonies.

Kim Taehyung

Something to know about Kim Seokjin was that he wasn't spontaneous. Impetuous. He was a logical person who cared about how he represented himself and how he was perceived. He was not the kind of man who would indulge in some sort of convoluted love-letter chain courtship with a car thief.

Nonetheless, he found himself starting up his car again, leaving his building's garage, and popping into the nearest office-supply store for SuperSticky Post-It notes.

The kind that wouldn't fly off his windshield when he responded to Kim Taehyung.