"i think that possibly,

maybe I'm falling for you."

six months in and numerous mugs later, it had became a routine for taehyung to stopped by jeon's cafe to end his day.

it was always tuesday and friday, from five p.m. to whenever, and jungkook never questioned it. sometimes taehyung would bring his favourite book that he got from a store three blocks away, something along the name of damien: the story of emil sinclair's youth. he couldn't understand why this particular bright and happy-go-lucky guy would enjoy such a dark genre, but nothing else mattered when he saw the sparkles behind taehyung's eyes whenever the older blabbered about the things he loved the most. 

other than complementing jungkook's latte-art of drawing various animals and heart shapes on the top of his drinks, taehyung would also talk about hongdae — a lively neighborhood known for its youthful and romantic ambience, also the place where jungkook opened his safe haven. how he wished for them to someday explore the area together, and not as a barista and his customer, but as good friends and possibly even more.

it was unfortunate that both never had the time to actually go. jungkook had to open his shop at five in the morning and close it when the clock struck midnight, while taehyung . . . well, in all honesty, jungkook never knew. but if there was something he was sure about, was that the man he was growing fond of was a busy person. it was only reasonable according to his extremely tight schedule (that would only let him visit two days a week). 

for jungkook, kim taehyung was made of mystery. 

a mystery that was dying to be solved.

two caramel macchiatos — still powdered with cinnamon — overdue, an exhausted jungkook found a strangely giddy taehyung sitting near the window, his caramel-resembling eyes now rapidly moving along with his fingers that were glued to a sketchbook. he was drawing.

"hyung," jungkook addressed with their newfound casualty, taking a seat across from him. "what are you making?"

"jungkook-ah, let me concentrate on this one . . ." taehyung licked his lips and continued.

"but hyung," he called again, this time whining like a little kid on christmas. he really couldn't help with that tendency, which unknowingly began not long after their first encounter.

"aish, this baby! okay, okay, hyung will show you the drawing," flipping the navy sketchbook, jungkook's eyes were immediately drawn towards the strokes of the pencil. it was neat, smooth and professional. taehyung ended up blushing at the shaken barista. "this is the rough portrayal of namsan tower; one of my all-time favourite spots in seoul. when i was young, my mom used to bring me there every school break, but now that i don't have the time to go . . . the place slowly becomes nothing but a memory."

"it's where the lovelocks are, right?"

"yeah. beautiful, isn't it?"

"very," jungkook hummed in absolute delight, though he was not only implying to taehyung's drawing, but also the drawer himself. when the barista looked around to see no one occupying the cafe other than themselves, he mentally groaned after realising that it was already eleven post meridiem. "hyung, i'm sorry to bother, but i have to close the shop."

a noticeable frown was etched across his lips when jungkook sat up. ". . . oh, okay."

it was the thing about kim taehyung that kept jungkook coming back for more. he was subtle. straight forward. always brave enough to show his feelings. if something was bothering him, the man who was too good for the world would go all ellen degeneres and burst out of his shell. but jungkook wasn't one to complain.

oh no, he's sad.

what should i do? jeon jungkook, think!

"do you . . ." for the first time in forever, jungkook decided to man up and asked the question he had been dreading to blurt out from day one. "d-do you want to continue drawing somewhere else? maybe at m-my studio or-"

"-your studio would be perfect," taehyung flashed jungkook the rectangular grin, shocking him in return. he said yes! it almost felt like a wedding proposal. "i'll collect my things and meet you outside, hmm?"

"i'd very much l-like that."

jungkook was still standing on the same place, cold and frozen on his feet, as if the barista who was never into relationships before had been struck by a vehicle, or even better — reality. it was probably wrong to hope too much, to say that this was more than a strict cafe owner-customer interactions, but none of them could help themselves from falling.

he could only hope that they would catch each other before kissing the ground.