That was when someone entered inside and looked at them.
"Jimin," Gowin called.
Yoongi's eyes slowly moved toward the entrance as the person stepped inside the house, one hand holding a bag and the other busy with a few books stacked against his chest.
Yoongi stood up immediately the moment he saw him. As always, his hands went inside the hoodie pockets, his shoulders slightly tensing, his introverted nature trying to hide the sudden nervousness running through him.
So this is Jimin, Yoongi thought silently. Gowin uncle's older son... the one he wants me to marry.
The thought settled strangely in his chest.
A family.
A person he could call his.
In a world where he had always been alone.
Jimin walked in without stopping, moving straight toward the kitchen. He dropped the bag on the counter, and Yoongi understood it must be something to eat. After that, Jimin turned and walked toward them.
His eyes scanned Yoongi briefly.
Yoongi was standing still, hands buried inside his hoodie, hair falling down over his forehead, hiding most of his face like he was trying to disappear into himself.
One of Jimin's hands was still holding the books. When Yoongi glanced at the covers, he immediately recognized them as medical subject books.
"Jimin..." Gowin started, then looked at Yoongi and back at Jimin. "He is Yoongi. See, I told you yesterday," Gowin said on purpose, clearly reminding him.
Jimin clenched his jaw, anger flashing for just a second before he forced it down. He couldn't show it right now. Looking at Yoongi standing there, quiet and uncomfortable, he realized this boy had no fault in any of this. The fault was his father's, for wanting to tie them together like this.
Jimin could clearly see that Yoongi was younger, maybe the same age as Jungkook. A pale boy hiding inside a baggy hoodie, hair slightly curly, messy, and falling over his eyes.
Even though Yoongi was younger, he still looked one or two inches taller than Jimin.
"Appa..." Jimin started, already deciding he would deny everything on his face. But then his eyes fell on Yoongi again, and he stopped himself. He didn't want to create a scene in front of a stranger.
"Whatever," he said flatly. "I'm going to my room."
He turned away without sparing Yoongi even a single glance.
Yoongi wouldn't lie-Jimin felt very rude in that moment.
But Yoongi was used to this kind of behavior. The world had always been full of strangers who didn't care.
Jimin walked up the stairs that led to his bedroom.
Halfway up, he glanced back once.
Appa really wants me to marry this boy? Jimin thought bitterly. He looks like he just passed high school, and I'm still studying myself, and Appa wants me to handle his responsibility too? Sorry, Appa. Maybe I'm selfish. But I won't do what you want me to.
With that thought, he entered his bedroom and closed the door.
Downstairs, Yoongi understood one thing very clearly.
Jimin was unhappy. Very unhappy with this idea.
In just ten minutes, Yoongi had built so many quiet hopes in his heart.
And in a few seconds, all of them were crushed.
"Uncle... I'll take my leave," Yoongi said softly.
Gowin immediately held his hand, stopping him.
"Stop," Gowin said gently. "He didn't mean it, Yoongi. He's just frustrated. You know how seniors behave in hospitals."
Yoongi nodded slowly, even though it still hurt.
"Please go to his room," Gowin said, then paused when he saw the hesitation on Yoongi's face. "I mean... just ask him a few questions about studies. Ask him if he can tutor you for the entrance."
Yoongi stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.
He would never normally go into someone's room like this. But he respected Gowin, and in the end, this was about his studies.
"Upstairs, left side. First room," Gowin said, pointing.
Yoongi took a breath and started walking toward the stairs.
Yoongi stood in front of the door, staring at it for a few seconds longer than needed, his heartbeat slowly rising for reasons he didn't fully understand.
Marriage was not a small thing.
He had never even tried dating properly.
The only crush he ever had was during childhood, silly and innocent, something he barely remembered now.
He lifted his hand and knocked.
Inside, Jimin was arranging books on the shelf. Half of the room was filled with books, stacked neatly and carefully, making the space look more like a small personal library than a bedroom.
Appa again, Jimin thought, slightly irritated, assuming it was his father.
But when he turned around, he froze.
It was Yoongi.
"You..." Jimin said, his voice automatically lowering.
"I... I'm really sorry for entering your room," Yoongi said, pausing halfway, clearly unsure of what to call him.
Jimin?
But he was older.
That might sound disrespectful.
"Jimin hyung," Yoongi finally said.
"You can call me Jimin," Jimin replied, not wanting to sound rude or distant. "My own brother calls me that."
"Sure, Jimin," Yoongi said with a small smile, then immediately looked down at the floor again.
He was terrible at making eye contact.
Jimin wanted to ask him directly if he knew about what his father had suggested, about the marriage, but the words refused to come out.
The silence stretched, awkward and heavy.
So Yoongi spoke first.
"You have a great collection of books," he said softly. "Can I see?"
"You can," Jimin replied.
Yoongi walked toward the shelf slowly, carefully scanning each book. Then his eyes stopped on one particular book, and his face immediately lit up.
"Wow... you have this one," Yoongi said, surprised. "I've been looking for it for a long time. It's always out of stock."
"You can borrow it if you want," Jimin said casually.
Yoongi's eyes widened.
"Can I?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice. He wasn't used to people offering him things so easily. He never trusted kindness quickly.
"Yes," Jimin replied simply.
"Um... so you're doing internship?" Yoongi asked.
"Yeah," Jimin replied. "I graduated from medical school this year and started my internship."
"Already? You're only twenty-four."
Jimin laughed softly.
"That's normal, actually. I entered medical school right after high school when I was eighteen. The program takes six years, so I graduated this year and started my internship."
"Wow," Yoongi said honestly. "I want to be a doctor too. I'm preparing for the entrance. CSAT. Uncle said you're very intelligent... if you're free sometimes, will you tutor me?"
Jimin paused.
If his father hadn't said anything about marriage, this conversation wouldn't have felt so heavy. But now, every word felt complicated.
"I'll tell you if I can make time," Jimin said carefully.
Yoongi nodded and went back to checking the books, standing near the shelf while Jimin stood close by.
"I heard your parents were doctors too," Jimin asked.
"Yes," Yoongi replied, his voice brightening slightly. "I got this dream from them."
As he reached up for another book, one slipped from the shelf and fell.
Both of them bent down at the same time to pick it up.
Their heads collided.
"Ouch," Jimin hissed.
"Shit," Yoongi cursed, holding his head and squeezing his eyes shut.
Jimin immediately noticed that Yoongi looked more hurt than he did.
"Show me," Jimin said, stepping closer until he was standing right in front of him.
"What-" Yoongi started, but before he could finish, Jimin gently moved Yoongi's hair away from his forehead.
That was when he saw the bandage.
It was slightly red now from the impact.
Yoongi looked embarrassed.
"I got into a fight a few days ago," he admitted quietly.
Doctor instincts kicked in instantly.
Jimin turned and pulled a medical kit from the cabinet.
"Sit on the bed," he said.
Yoongi obeyed without arguing.
"I'll change the bandage."
Jimin placed the kit on the bed and sat facing Yoongi. With one hand, he carefully held Yoongi's hair away from his forehead as it kept falling back, and with the other, he cleaned the wound gently using cotton.
Yoongi looked at him.
The way Jimin was so focused, so careful, even if it was just his doctor habit, made something warm settle inside Yoongi's chest.
For the first time in a long while, he felt... safe.
"Done," Jimin said after finishing.
"Thank you," Yoongi replied softly.
"Don't fight if you want to be a good student of mine and get tutoring from me," Jimin said casually as he picked up the kit and placed it back.
Yoongi couldn't stop his smile.
"Now I'll take my leave," he said.
Yoongi walked out of the bedroom smiling, not fully understanding why he felt so light all of a sudden.
In the living room, he met Park Gowin again.
"Bye, uncle. Bye, aunty," Yoongi said, looking toward the kitchen where Jimin's mother was.
"Yoongi, stay here until you find a place," Gowin said gently, almost pleading. "I know you won't stay even if I insist, but at least for a few days..."
"Uncle, you know me well," Yoongi replied softly. "I could have come here the day my parents died, but I didn't. You know the reason."
Gowin stayed silent.
Yoongi left.
From upstairs, Jimin had heard everything.
He smiled faintly, realizing something he hadn't noticed before.
Yoongi was far more mature than his age suggested.
Still marriage was a big thing.
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