~

Jimin woke up to the sunlight hitting his face, making his room feel warmer than usual. He opened his eyes, a yawn escaping his mouth in the process. He stretched his arms over his head and stared at the ceiling for a while, taking in the glow-in-the-dark stars and crescents plastered across. He smiled to himself, reminiscing childhood memories of building pillow forts under the neon glow of the stars stuck to his ceiling. His father had bought him a pack of the stars as a birthday gift when he turned four.

The curtains whisked around due to the breeze coming in through the open windows, casting an orange glow to the morning light. It reminded Jimin of the times he slept in a beach hut, watching the ocean emerge under the golden shimmer. For a moment, his mind conjures the waves, lapping softly at the sandy shore, and he feels his heart beat to the same slow pace. He breathes in deeply, and he jolts upright into a sitting position when he smells bacon.

I'll have quite the heavy breakfast today, Jimin thought to himself as he moved to the attached bathroom. He brushed his teeth and stripped out of his pajamas, stepping into the shower. The water was lukewarm and he appreciated the temperature as the water hit his skin. He stood under the shower for a while, letting the warm water soak into his skin and ease his muscles. Jimin had always liked taking long showers, but he rarely got a chance to do so when he was in Seoul. He would always have to rush and get ready for work. But in Busan, in his grandmother's house, he could take all the time he wanted.

Jimin still had a small towel around his neck as he stepped into the kitchen. His grandmother was frying bacon strips on the pan but she turned around when she heard Jimin pull out a chair to sit.

"Good sleep?" She asked him, eyes trailing over to his wet hair. She scoffed at the dripping strands, pulling the towel from around his neck and moving to stand behind him. "You're twenty-six years old and you still don't know how to dry your hair properly, do you?" She reprimanded him as her hands worked in quick motion to dry his ebony hair. Jimin smiled slyly to himself but his grandmother caught it. She slapped the back of his head and Jimin winced, but he knew she was smiling too. "Next time just ask me to dry your hair if you want. Don't pull stunts that will get you sick."

Jimin smiled as he watched his grandmother go back to cooking. He had always liked affection, and the one person who gave it to him whole-heartedly throughout his life was his grandmother. She understood that he was an affectionate being in general, he liked doing things for people and he loved the smallest bits of reciprocation for his actions. She understood that it was because he was deprived of affection from his parents at a very young age.

"I made egg toast and fried bacon," she muttered as she brought two plates to the table, placing one in front of Jimin. She brought the pan containing extra strips of bacon as well, in case any of them decided to take extras.

Jimin brought the egg toast to his mouth, taking a huge bite out of it and chewing it with his eyes closed. He had missed the unique flavor his grandmother's food always seemed to have. His head bobbed along as he chewed, appreciating the exceptional cooking. When he opened his eyes he found his grandmother grinning at him like she wordlessly understood what he wanted to convey.

"Why thank you," she said, taking a dramatic bow, causing Jimin to choke on his food as he snorted. "Careful, careful, I don't want you choking on my toast."

Jimin finished his breakfast in record time, stunning even his grandmother, who was still chewing her second toast.

"Do you skip meals in Seoul honey? Is that why you're so skinny now?" She began, eyes following Jimin's movements as he walked to the kitchen sink to wash his plate. "I'm going to feed you so much while you're here. You're not leaving Busan without gaining some pounds I'm telling you."

Jimin dried his hands on the towel hung next to the sink and moved to kiss the crown of his grandmother's head.

"Minnie, could you please go get an engine tune-up for my car? It's been long since I last got it done and the car's a little rusty." Jimin nodded, grabbing his wallet and the car key off the counter. "Drive straight until you reach the crossroad near the beach, then take two consequent rights, you'll find the repair shop."

Jimin stepped out of the house with a bounce to his step. He was getting to drive his grandmother's old silver Hyundai after all. The sun was as bright as ever, considering it was nearing the peak hour of the day. And Jimin suddenly regretted wearing all black. He put the air-conditioning on full blast as he drove according to the instructions his grandmother had given him. But even then he could feel the heat radiating through the windows. On any other day Jimin would have loved wearing his favorite black t-shirt — a half-sleeved slightly oversized beauty with the logo of Black Sabbath right in its center. But on this particular day, Jimin wanted to burn said t-shirt before it ended up burning him in the heat.

Jimin stopped in front of the auto repair shop, noticing how the concrete right in front of the shop was slightly cracked, weeds growing from the gaps. Probably due to the heat, Jimin reasoned, stepping out of the car and twirling the keyring on his finger. He noticed rhododendrons growing on either side of the asphalt leading upto the entrance of the shop. Paint was peeling off the garage in some places and Jimin scrunched his brows at the heavy smell of diesel and oil. A few cars were propped up on lifts, some symmetrical, some asymmetrical — Jimin didn't know why there was a difference in the lifts. He looked around, trying to find a person, but all he could see from his line of sight were cars and tools.

Maybe the mechanic's on holiday, Jimin thought before realizing how stupid he sounded. The repair shop was open after all. He walked over to the aluminium roll-up door and rapped at it with his knuckles, hoping someone would hear. But no one stepped out. Jimin sighed, deciding to wait for a while to see if someone would come by. He walked over to one of the tables and picked up an instrument from the tool box placed on it, studying it curiously. He was about to pick up another one when the one he was holding in his hand fell to the concrete ground, causing noise. Jimin immediately picked it up and put it back where it belonged, looking around in fear that the owner of the repair shop would have caught him. He sighed in relief when he found no one.

"I heard that," he heard a voice speak, a body simultaneously sliding forward from underneath one of the cars. Jimin gasped in surprise, jumping back and hitting his hip on the wooden table. He hissed at the pain, holding onto his hip and biting his lip.

The man was now standing, and Jimin noticed he was much taller. His eyes were trained on the man as he moved to grab a dirty piece of cloth from one of the tables and wipe his hands to rid them off of grease and oil. He tossed the cloth back onto the table and turned to face Jimin, hands resting on the table behind him as he casually leaned against it.

"So, what's the matter with your car?"

Jimin's senses weren't working properly at the moment. His eyes were taking up all the functionality of his brain and he had gone deaf to the man's words. He let his eyes shamelessly travel across the muscular body in front of him. The man was dressed in a pair of brown cargo pants, which were dusty and greasy from him having wiped his hands on them frequently. His torso was adorned by a white wife-beater shirt, which was almost transparent due to sweat. Jimin could vaguely make out abs and he shivered. He came to a repair shop to get his grandmother's car checked, not to drool over how hot the mechanic was.

Jimin snapped out of the trance he was in when fingers snapped in front of his face. He shook his head, looking up at the mechanic who was now standing right in front of him. The man had his brows furrowed, lips drawn into a tight smirk almost teasingly.

"I asked what's the matter with your car," he said, voice lower than Jimin would have anticipated. He gulped, swallowing his own spit, trying not to drool and embarrass himself in front of this man.

Jimin pointed at the silver Hyundai, walking over to it and patting its hood. The mechanic walked over as well, pulling up the hood and looking back at Jimin in confusion.

"Am I supposed to sense what's wrong?" The mechanic rose an eyebrow, tongue shifting to one side of his mouth and pressing against his cheek. Jimin pointed at the engine, which was now on display. "An engine tune-up? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Jimin gave an enthusiastic nod, causing the mechanic to chuckle before he started checking the spark plugs. Jimin watched him curiously, eyes lighting up every now and then as the mechanic checked the insulator wires and filters.

"Take a picture, it would last longer," the man remarked, pausing his work to flash a teasing grin at Jimin, who in turn flushed at the remark. He wasn't used to this. Back in Seoul he hardly had time to flirt around or encourage flirting. The mechanic mistook his silence for shyness and he chuckled. "Am I that attractive? That you lost your words in front of me?"

Jimin knew he was only teasing him, but a frown graced his face at the words. He cast his eyes to his shoes, kicking at the concrete below almost in sadness and frustration. The mechanic noticed and focused on Jimin, wiping his hands on his pants now that he was done.

"Hey," the man said, running a hand through his hair, his forehead beaded with sweat due to the sweltering heat.

Jimin looked up, motioning to his mouth and making an 'X' with his arms. The mechanic frowned, now shutting the hood of the car and hooking a finger to one of the belt loops on his cargo pants.

"You can't talk?" He questioned, tongue darting out to lick his lips. Later realizing how rude he sounded, he rephrased his words. "I mean, are you mute?"

Jimin usually never answered this question if it were asked by strangers, because it made him feel insecure and vulnerable. But he gave a small nod in response to the question, even though he did not know the mechanic and they were practically strangers.

The mechanic said nothing as he turned and strode back into his garage, picking up tools required to fix another car. Jimin felt his heart hurt at the rejection. This is exactly what he was afraid of, and why he never answered people when they asked him. He was afraid of the disgust, pity and rejection that came along with him being mute.

He realized he hadn't paid the mechanic yet so he kept a few notes he assumed would be the bill on the nearest table and turned to leave. Just as he was about to get into his car, he heard a voice speak out.

"I saw the shades in your jeans pocket. Lacoste huh? You work in the city, perhaps?" Jimin placed a hand on his shades almost immediately. "CEO? CFO? Something like that?"

Jimin swallowed hard, wanting to leave the place and get home as soon as he could. He felt like he was making the mechanic feel bad about his own livelihood.

"I know this car. It belongs to Mrs. Park. You're too young to be her son, you must be her grandson, visiting her for a vacation."

Jimin felt shivers run down his spine. How did this mechanic deduce so much from such little knowledge? Who was he?

"If you're ever bored, drop by at the garage. You look like you could use a friend, and I sure as hell could use some company other than cars."

Jimin hadn't expected the mechanic to even talk to him after his whole mute episode. So he was clearly overwhelmed at the offer. He turned around to find the mechanic smirking at him.

"Jeon Jungkook," he spoke, voice still husky. "And you're Park— something?"

Jimin mouthed his name, causing the mechanic to furrow his brows as he tried to read his lips.

"Park Siwon?" Jimin shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips as he tried again. "Uh— Park Jimim?" Jimin's eyes grew wider and he punched the air. The mechanic, Jungkook, chuckled. "So I'm close? Park— Jimin?"

Jimin bobbed his head up and down excitedly and Jungkook laughed. "Nice name you got there Jimin," he said, shooting him a wink. Jimin felt his knees wobble.

Jeon Jungkook was ruggedly and roguishly handsome, a hot mess if one would call him. And heck, Jimin knew he was definitely coming here every now and then.

~

note:
it's not saturday yet again, but i finished drafting like eight chapters so here is a surprise update :')
our jeon boy is hereeee yall, he's made his first appearance in this book and jimin is shook like the rest of us.
i tried to write a chapter of 4k words but my dumb ass ended up dividing it into two chapters instead, so i hope you enjoyed this.
let me know what you guys think. ❤