He stepped inside, the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. It had become a second home for him, did he have a first home even? The thought was left unanswered.

But today, even that wasn't enough to chase away the heavy exhaustion clinging to him like a second skin.

And still he couldn't stop himself from visiting the girl he had grown an unnamed bond with. He didn't know in what words to ink the feeling down, but all he could say was she made him forget about his demons for a few moments and that was enough of a reason for Jimin to keep chasing this dream of a sand castle.

His movements were slow as he dragged his feet in, his usually sharp eyes dulled by sleepless nights and gruelling tasks. Taehyung's sole attention focused on one plot of catching Raven had left him buried under the weight of supporting tasks. Jimin had taken it all on without complaint, driven by pride and an unspoken desire not to appear incapable in front of Namjoon or anyone else. Of all, he wanted Raven down on her knees as badly as any of them did. But it was wearing him down.

He barely had the energy to acknowledge the thin crowd and baristas behind the counter, his gaze scanning the room until it landed on her.

Maria.

She was at her usual spot near the corner, her hands moving deftly as she wiped down the table. The sight of her brought an unknown calm, even as his body threatened to give out beneath him.

Jimin shuffled closer, each step feeling heavier than the last. By the time he reached her, his breathing was shallow, his vision tunnelling. Still, he managed a small, strained smile.

"Hey" he said, his voice hoarse.

She looked up, startled, her eyes widening as she took in his appearance. "Jimin? You look—"

"Like I haven't slept in weeks?" he finished for her, swaying slightly. "Yeah, I know"

"Terrible to be accurate" She said, setting the cup she was holding aside. Her voice was soft, teasing, but laced with genuine concern.

Jimin let out a breathless chuckle, running a hand through his disheveled hair leaning against the counter. "Thanks for the confidence boost." His words were light, but his voice carried the weight of exhaustion.

The usual cold edge she gave him wasn't there now neither he tried to get on her nerves anymore but the humor and teasing never died. Jimin smirked, leaning more heavily against the counter. "Don't tell me you missed me" he teased, his tone a little too playful for someone who looked ready to pass out.

She crossed her arms, tilting her head as if considering his words. "Missed you? Hardly. I nearly threw a party celebrating the fact you were finally out of my hair."

"Celebrating?" he repeated, his lips quirking into a faint grin. "And here I was thinking I'd left this gaping void in your life."

"You did" she shot back without missing a beat, "but it was a void of peace and quiet. I was starting to enjoy it, actually."

He laughed, a low, raspy sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "You're cruel, Maria" he said, his voice softer now, almost fond.

"And you're ridiculous" she countered, though her tone lacked the sharpness it usually carried. "Seriously, Jimin. You look like you had been a lab rat. What's wrong with you? Did you even rest?"

He let out a dry chuckle, though it sounded more like a wheeze. "Does three hours of napping after every pair of days count as rest?"

It wasn't like she didn't know the feeling of that, she had that routine too, but obviously her job is different. Jimin mustn't be involved in shit she does so why would he struggle to have enough time for some shut eye. He's just another guy, right?

The fact he had so much time to waste here coming to the cafe, she didn't take his word for truth! He must be joking, like always!

She stopped to stare at him suspiciously. "You're kidding."

"Not really," he said with a tired smirk. "It's efficient. Two days of work, one quick nap, and I'm good to go."

"One, I can see you're lying. Two, if it was true even, that's not efficient. That's stupidity" she shot back. "No wonder you look like you're about to collapse. What's so important that you can't sleep like a normal human being? Three hours every two days. What kind of life are you living even?"

"What do you think, what kind of life I live?" He questioned instead of answering, curiosity pushed him through that door wanting to know what the girl might think about him.

"The fact you own a nice car, a rich spoiled son partying all night long, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were a model or something. It's in trend these days."

He blinked, taken aback by her bluntness. For a moment, he just stared at her, his lips parting in disbelief. Then, a low chuckle rumbled in his chest, building until it spilled out into a full laugh.

"A model? Really?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement. "That's one way to compliment me."

"What? You look too polished sometimes, and the car screams 'look at me.' Plus, the attitude? Yeah, I could see it."

Jimin ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head as a lopsided grin spread across his face. "You've got quite the imagination. But let me clear that up for you—I'm not a model. I mean, not that I'd mind the attention" he added with a tired smirk, "but that's not me."

She arched an eyebrow, smirking. "Well, that's disappointing. I had a bet going with myself."

He laughed, his tired shoulders shaking. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Maria's smirk softened into a teasing smile. "You asked, Jimin. Don't blame me for being honest. And for the record, rich spoiled son partying all night? That still holds."

"Fair enough" he said after a pause. "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. But you're way off the mark."

"Oh?" Maria challenged, crossing her arms. "Then enlighten me. What kind of life do you live, Mr. Mystery?"

"It's not as glamorous as you think, I work hard, and I deal with a lot of things most people wouldn't understand. It's... complicated."

Maria studied him for a moment, her smirk fading. "Complicated how?"

Jimin leaned over the counter coming closer to the girl, his gaze dripping in darkest colors of sultriness. "I flirt with pretty girls like you, take them out on a date, drug them up and chunk out their pretty little kidneys, they make me good money"

Maria blinked, her lips parting slightly in shock at his words. For a brief moment, the weight of his sultry gaze and the sinister undertone of his statement made her pulse quicken. Then she caught the faintest curve of his lips—a smirk playing at the corner, teasing, taunting, waiting for her reaction.

She huffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "And I brew guys like you in my coffee machine, my customers love it"

Jimin chuckled, the low sound vibrating in the space between them. "I wouldn't be shocked if you really did it"

"Rude" She gave a glare that in no way was irritated.

"So, when am I going in... I mean that machine of yours?" He spoke with a taunting smirk, the double meaning words left her face palming herself as people around them watched amused by the young duo bickering.

"You're impossible."

"And you're entertaining" he countered, his grin softening into something warmer.

She rolled her eyes, but the faint blush creeping up her neck betrayed her. "Don't sweet-lure me. You just look like you're about to keel over, and I'd rather not deal with the fallout."

"You care more than you let on" he teased, his voice dropping an octave. "Admit it, Maria. You'd miss me if I stopped showing up here."

She snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "If you stopped showing up, I'd finally get some peace. Don't get your hopes up."

"Liar-" He stopped mid way, the next words didn't come. A wave of dizziness hit him out of nowhere, and the room tilted dangerously. He stumbled, catching the edge of the counter for support.

"Jimin?" Her voice was sharp with concern as she quickly rounded the counter and reached for him. Her hand found his arm, steadying him as he swayed unsteadily on his feet. People seated around the tables turned to look.

"I'm fine" he muttered, though his body betrayed him by leaning heavily into her hold. She didn't expect the sudden weight toppled onto her and she held him close wrapping an arm around his torso.

"No, you're not."

It was obvious.

Her grip on him tightened as she guided him toward the back of the café.

Jimin didn't resist. The dizziness was too strong, the weight of his exhaustion pulling him under like a riptide. He let her lead him where ever it was, he was too tired to even lift another foot by himself, cozy cabin-like room it was, neat and warm, where she led him.

"Sit" She ordered, her hands firm but gentle as she eased him down onto the couch.

Jimin slumped against the cushions, his head falling back as he closed his eyes. "Didn't know you ran a clinic here" he mumbled, his voice tinged with weak humor.

Maria knelt beside him, her expression softening as she studied his face. The dark circles under his eyes, the pallor of his skin—it was clear he was running on empty. "Every time you step in here like a mummy, my coffee saves you, but today you look dead, You're overdoing it"

"Your hands—they're better. That's a relief!" He changed the topics fast and smooth!

She glanced down at them, flexing her fingers as if to check for herself. "Yeah" she said, brushing it off casually. "Nice try to avoid, but first I'll get you some water, I'll be back, don't get up" She walked out, her voice going faint as she moved further deep into the hallway.

Jimin looked around with tired eyes, taking in his surroundings for the first time. The cabin was small but inviting, with shelves lined with books, a plush rug covering the wooden floor, and faint golden light from a desk lamp casting a soft glow.

It smelled faintly of lavender and coffee—he felt his eyes closing, relaxing with the calming scents engulfing him.

His gaze ran over the books lined in the shelves. They were all fantasy tales.

So, the boss likes to read? Maybe I can bribe them later with books and steal their precious barista. His gaze ran reading every title, surely they were inviting and then it lingered on the papers jutting out from between the books, the bold title inked in black read DNA Sibling Analysis pulling at his attention like a whisper in a silent room.

His brow furrowed.

A DNA sibling test? Is it the cafe's owner's? Could be! Or... its Maria's?

It can't be hers! What would she be doing with something like that? But, if it was hers...

He felt clueless, like standing at the edge of a puzzle with no pieces to fit. The title on the papers could mean a thousand things—or nothing at all—but it tugged at a thread in his memory he couldn't quite place.

Why would she need a DNA sibling analysis? Was it for her? For someone else?

His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to that night. The night he had found her in the cafe, trembling and drenched in her own silence. The two of them had wordlessly decided to bury whatever had happened, neither daring to bring it up again.

But now, the edges of that memory resurfaced, sharp and insistent.

"I feel like I'm chasing something that isn't even real anymore. Like I'm running after a ghost and... I don't even know why I can't stop."

Her words played on repeat in his mind, and Jimin found himself staring at the papers, lost in thought.

A ghost? he mused. Was this ghost tied to the papers? Or to her? Or maybe... both?

The weight of her voice from that night, heavy with something unsaid, settled over him again. At the time, he had let it go—convinced himself it was none of his business. But now, sitting here in her cabin with her strange secret peeking out from the shelves, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more.

Someone she lost? Someone she's looking for? She looked so broken that night, so fragile. Am I imagining connections that aren't there? Or am I right to feel like there's something more to her?

"Jimin?" Her voice broke through his reverie, snapping him back to the present. He blinked, his eyes shifting from the papers to her face.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

"You look lost."

He gave her a faint smile, brushing it off. "Just tired. Nice place. Cozy. You've got access to the owner's private office? Didn't peg you for the type to break rules."

Rummaging through a nearby cupboard, she paused and glanced at him over her shoulder. "I didn't break any rules" she replied with a huff, holding up a blanket she'd found.

Jimin's smirk deepened as he leaned back into the couch, still looking around. "What if he gets mad? I mean, using the owner's space to treat your boyfriend... risky move, don't you think?"

Maria froze mid-step, the blanket slipping slightly from her hands. She turned to face him, blinking rapidly. "Wait... what?"

He didn't miss the faint pink that crept into her cheeks, even in the dim light.

"Boyfriend" he repeated, stretching the word out lazily. His voice held an edge of amusement despite his exhaustion. "Isn't that what this looks like? Taking care of me, fussing over my health, bringing me here to your special little spot. Sure seems like boyfriend privileges."

She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to find the right words to retort. Finally, she managed, "You're delirious. That's the lack of sleep talking."

"Maybe" he drawled, his eyes fluttering closed again. "Or maybe I'm just calling it like I see it."

She narrowed her eyes at him, hands now planted on her hips. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"And yet you're still here" he murmured, his voice dropping to a softer tone.

Maria shook her head, muttering something under her breath as she threw the blanket in his face. "For the record" she said, her voice tinged with exasperation, "I'm the owner. This is my café, my rules. So, no one's going to get mad except me, if you keep talking nonsense."

Jimin's eyes snapped open, a flicker of genuine surprise in them. "You own this place, hm~" his mind churned as he glanced over at the papers peeking from the shelf again.

A slow realization crept over him. If she owned the café, then those papers must belong to her. He couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something about them—about this whole situation—was off.

His thoughts ran in circles, piecing things together, connecting the dots he had been trying to ignore. That night when he found her in that miserable state, there had been something more to it.

Those papers... the DNA sibling analysis. Was she searching for someone? Had she lost someone? Or, worse yet, had she gotten so deep into something—something tangled and dangerous—that she couldn't escape?

Was she hiding something from him? Was he even meant to know? They have only known each other for a handful of months now. He wasn't that close to her that she would share something so personal, right? He watched her forcing his eyes to stay open for longer, his thoughts clouded with one question.

Should he try to climb that ladder?

"Jimin, I-" Maria spoke after a while, her back to the guy she had brought into her personal space. "I wanted to say... thankyou" She spoke, voice faint kissed at the edges with a whisper.

"For... everything you did that night... for me" She exhaled twisting her fingers staring at them, not having the courage to look at the man behind her. The what ifs scared her, what if it was momentary and now he finds you hilarious for being such a cry baby!

"I don't think I ever got the chance to say it properly. That night, Jimin... I don't even know why you stayed, but you did. Most people would've walked away or pretended they didn't see. But you didn't... Didn't ask for explanations or try to fix things. You were just... there. And it was enough. More than enough, actually."

Her tone grew softer, but her words carried no hesitation. "You stayed, and you let me feel like I wasn't drowning all by myself. That matters more than you probably realize. So, thank you, Jimin. Not just for that night but for showing me a way to breathe. You may be a royal pain most days, but I'll give you this—you're-" But her words caught in her throat as her gaze landed on him.

Jimin was fast asleep, sprawled across the couch like a contented cat. His cheek was squished against the cushion, lips slightly puckered as if mid-pout, completely oblivious to the heartfelt moment he'd just missed.

She blinked, then tilted her head with a half-amused, half-annoyed expression. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered. "So, this is what I get, huh? Its so hard for me to say those words and look at him, sleeping like a baby"

Still, she grabbed the blanket she'd thrown at him earlier and draped it over him. "Don't think this means you'll get another chance to hear it" she said quietly, tucking it around his shoulders. "I don't repeat myself. Plus, I'm letting you snore here—consider it payback for the chaos you bring every time you walk through that door."

Switching off the lamp, she stepped back, giving one last glance at the peacefully sleeping figure on her couch. His cheek was still squished against the cushion, lips slightly parted, looking nothing like the sharp-tongued man she had gotten used to. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face.

"Idiot"

Shaking her head, she turned and walked out, her footsteps soft against the floor. She didn't notice the faint curve of her lips lingering as she went back to the counter, the feeling of gratitude added with something lighter, something warmer, something she couldn't name just yet.