sᴀᴠᴀsᴀɴᴀ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

.27. ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇᴀsᴀɴᴀ

As anyone would have expected, the Twirling Dragon Bar was not very crowded on a Wednesday evening. Jimin had had a sudden rehearsal cancellation, and Jungkook had jumped at the chance to hang out with him for it had been awhile since their last night out. Except ever since they'd arrived, Jungkook had been more interested in his phone than his hyung, who was starting to wonder if it would be best to just go home and sleep early because from the looks of it, this night out was thus far proving awfully boring.

The bartender (whom we shall call Johnny because he has appeared twice in this fic already and it would be nice to get to know him a little) returned with a cocktail of his making, and a worried frown on his otherwise friendly face. "Espresso martini, on the house, because we must talk."

Jimin could tell a polite 'thanks but no thanks' was not an option and began munching on a coffee bean. "Wait, am I supposed to eat those?" he suddenly asked, doubtful.

"You can, if you like them," Johnny replied with a smile. "Fair-trade beans."

Jimin went on crunching. "You want to talk about him?" His finger was pointing at his younger friend who looked positively enthralled by whatever activity was taking place on the street outside the bar.

"Precisely. Now tell me, what are the symptoms?" the man enquired.

"Well, let me think. Ah yes! He's been cooking a lot at home, you know. And since we both love spicy tteokbokki, we have it at least once a week. It has become his signature dish. Except these days, he started making this royal version with soy sauce instead of red pepper paste."

Johnny mulled over it for a short while before asking, "is it good?"

"It is. But his spicy recipe remains superior, in my opinion. Why doesn't he make it any more?"

"My guess is this: he is perfecting a dish to suit someone else's taste buds." Without giving Jimin a moment to process that information, he pressed on. "Anything else?"

The dancer didn't have to think long before answering, "he sings. A lot."

"Singing is a good indicator of happiness."

Jimin had to agree. "I hadn't heard him sing in a long time. And it's nice to see him smiling again. Especially after all he's been through. I just didn't imagine he'd be back to his old self so soon."

Motioning for Johnny to come closer, Jimin added covertly, "I'm not sure how things work in Australia, but in Korea, this is all very suspicious behaviour."

The bartender was quick to concur. "I agree. Did you confront him about it?"

"The thing is, I don't want to sound like I'm his mother. Or that he owes me an explanation. I mean, he has his life, you know. And I have mine. If I start questioning his unusual attitude, he might withdraw into himself."

Jimin turned to watch Jungkook seemingly too busy texting to notice their worried looks. "I'm a little sad he hasn't confided in me on his own terms. And I feel bad for suspecting him to hide things from me."

Johnny flashed him a smile. "Oh that he is. Trust me."

"Wait. What do you know that I don't? And why am I always the last one informed?"

"He's in love. Can't you tell?"

Jimin almost choked on a coffee bean. "In love?"

He had no time to elaborate as Jungkook sat on the barstool next to him. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Uh — nothing." Jimin's flusteredness didn't go unnoticed.

"What's the matter?"

"The matter is that — we got here thirty minutes ago and only now do you decide to join our conversation!" Jimin was a dancer. Not an actor. Everyone could see through his airs, but that didn't stop him from overplaying his miff. "You're lucky it's a quiet night! Johnny kept me company, otherwise, I would have been very lonely."