Private Correspondence
Title: Private Correspondence
Pairing: Jimin/Jeongguk
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluffy humor. I guess?
Word Count: 2'053.
Warnings: (none) (The rating is for a bit of language.)
Disclaimer: While the content of this story is inspired by real events and people, any references made are entirely thought up by the author and in no way reflect actual actions and opinions. Any similarities are coincidence.
Summary: An indignant confrontation with his mailman about opened envelopes leaves Jimin with the tragic realization that his best friend is a damn idiot and that he probably just ruined his chances with Jeon Jeongguk for all eternity by accusing him of being some kind of weird stalker.
Notes: Cross-posted on AO3 and tumblr. Just a very quick thing written to write anything at all because my words refused to work for the longest time. Based on this prompt from otpprompts on tumblr.
Jimin frowned down at the envelope in his hands. Torn open, again. What the hell?
He dropped his work bag in front of their shoe rack, distractedly toeing off his outside shoes, eyes still fixed on the open envelope. It had been happening a lot lately that he found his mail already opened in the spot that his flat mate Taehyung always left it for him, on the small table right next to their front door. On most days, he found it still sealed as it should be, haphazardly placed next to the bowl with keys and pretty stones and cheap action figurines that took up most of the table top. But for a few weeks now, there’d be days when he came home to mail clearly addressed to him, ripped open and waiting for him.
Being the friendly person he was, Jimin had overlooked the matter the first three or four times, and maybe forgotten about it a fifth or a sixth time because work was stressful and his brain was overloaded with remembering to buy new detergent or calling his aunt for her birthday. But even he had a limit.
There were going to be words with his mailman.
Maybe it was a stroke of luck or maybe the righteous gods were on his side, but as it happened, Jimin had four days off stretching out in front of him, so the next morning found him outside of their apartment building, shivering in the cold winter air as he waited for their mailman to show. To work himself into the right state of mind, he had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a dark scowl on his face. He was just checking his cell phone for the time when he caught a glimpse of ugly light blue vest moving into his field of vision.
“Hey!” he called, shoving his cell phone back into his pocket and surging forward to confront the jerk, not caring how rude he sounded. “You there!”
The mailman stopped and turned towards him, looking surprised. And Jimin almost stumbled over his own feet with the way he screeched to a halt because goddamn, the guy was younger than expected and incredibly attractive. Jimin’s gaze automatically zeroed in on the ID dangling from his neck. Jeon Jeongguk, it read.
“Yes?” the mailman said hesitantly, eyeing Jimin carefully.
The rustle of paper from the torn envelope Jimin was clutching brought his brain back on track. Right. He was angry at the mailman. He brandished the envelope in Jeongguk’s face, shaking it indignantly. “I’ve been finding my mail torn open all the time these past few weeks when I got home. Is that supposed to be some stupid joke? That’s private correspondence! I can get you fired for that shit if you don’t stop it!”
Jeon Jeongguk stared at him, a puzzled frown on his face that didn’t make him one jot less attractive and Jimin could feel the weight of his intense look burning into his skin, sending blood rushing to his face with every heavy thump of his heart. He could already feel some of his wrath draining away to be exchanged by giddy butterflies. God, he was too weak to confront this person for much longer. He’d just melt into a starry-eyed puddle any second. Luckily, Jeon Jeongguk finally shook his head the tiniest bit in an apologetic gesture. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir. I haven’t been opening any mail, I wouldn’t do that.”
The nerve. “Well, how do you explain my opened mail then? Ghosts? Magic? Repeated break-ins?” Jimin shot back snottily, giving him a haughty look and pointedly ignoring the fact that he had to look up for that because Jeon Jeongguk was taller than him.
“I don’t know.” Jeon Jeongguk shrugged calmly. “A family member? Roommate? Anyone with a house key?”
Jimin snorted. “And why would my flat mate suddenly start opening my mail after two years, with no explanation and no apology? I think you’re just trying to blame someone else to get out of this.”
“Maybe he didn’t realize it wasn’t his mail?” the mailman replied, sounding a little annoyed by then. “Listen, mister, I can only tell you again that it wasn’t me. Did your flat mate tell you your mail arrived in that condition? Because if he did, he’s lying.”
“He--” Jimin started, only to break off mid-sentence when he realized he hadn’t actually asked Taehyung about the opened envelopes at all. He’d just come out to confront the mailman. “You know what? Let’s just end this conversation here and, um, I’ll go talk to my flat mate about this.” The hot flush covering his entire face, his ears, and even his neck certainly wasn’t thanks to Jeon Jeongguk’s attractiveness this time.
Jeon Jeongguk smiled, tiny and amused, one corner of his lips quirking up higher than the other and he reacted a lot more graciously than Jimin might have in his shoes by just nodding his acceptance silently and letting Jimin speed-walk away with some shreds of dignity left. He spent the rest of his day on the couch, staring at the ceiling and wavering between cringing because he rudely accused an innocent mailman of reading his correspondence and scowling because he let his righteous anger be misdirected to poor Taehyung so easily. When Taehyung’s key sounded in the lock, Jimin shot up from the couch and almost crashed into the wall in his mad sprint to the door.
At his sudden appearance, Taehyung jerked, staring at him with wide eyes and a spooked expression, their day’s mail clutched to his chest in a defensive gesture. “Holy shit, you scared me. What’s wrong?”
Jimin grabbed him by the shoulders. “Did you open my mail sometimes the past few weeks?”
“What?” Taehyung whined exasperatedly. “Why’d you attack me like that to ask if I opened your mail? I almost died from shock!”
“Did you or did you not?” Jimin demanded, shaking him pointedly because this was important, dammit!
“I did! Accidentally, okay?” Taehyung said loudly, voice coming out weird through Jimin’s shaking.
“What?! Kim Taehyung, oh my fucking God--”
“Why are you freaking out?” Taehyung shouted back, pushing off Jimin’s hands with a miffed face. “It’s not even a big deal! I wasn’t paying attention and so I just ripped open everything instead of just the ones for me. I didn’t look inside, though, I swear! So just chill, man!”
“Chill?!” Jimin yelled back, raking his hands down his face in utter frustration. “Kim Taehyung, I swear!” Letting out a wordless shout of rage, Jimin turned on his heel and stomped back into the living room, throwing himself back down on the sofa to bury his head in the cushions.
He heard Taehyung drop his shoes by the door with a clatter and then shuffle up to the couch. “What’s even going on? I mean, I’m sorry I accidentally opened your stuff, but why are you so angry?” Jimin felt him settle down on the floor next to the couch and give his butt a pat. “Come on, Jiminnie. What’s up?”
Jimin let out a deep sigh, burrowing deeper into the sofa. “I yelled at our mailman today because I thought he was the one opening my mail.”
“Oh.” There was a pause. “Oops?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you, idiot,” Jimin muttered back bitterly. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Well, no biggie,” Taehyung said cheerfully, giving Jimin’s butt another slap. “You never see him anyways, so you can just forget it ever happened.”
“But I don’t want to never see him again.” Jimin assuredly wasn’t pouting.
“Ooooh. I see. So he was hot, yes?”
“I hate you. It’s all your fault.”
“Then just go out tomorrow and apologize,” Taehyung suggested blithely. “You’re cute, he’ll probably forgive you for being a dick.”
Jimin blindly kicked out with his leg and was satisfied to connect solidly with Taehyung’s body, drawing a pained grunt from him. “I’m not forgiving you just yet, so get away from me.”
Grumbling under his breath, Taehyung disappeared into his room, leaving Jimin to his moping.
-
The next morning found Jimin once again shivering outside his apartment building, this time with a decidedly more humble air. Instead of an envelope, he was clutching a small thermos in his hands, filled with hot chocolate and a note of heartfelt apology tucked into the cup that sealed it. If his number was also on the note, no one could blame him for not trying his all.
Jeon Jeongguk didn’t look half as surprised to see him as the day before. He wore that tiny, amused, and slightly quirked smile again, watching with piercing eyes as Jimin shuffled up to him, cheeks already pink with mortification.
“Um, hi again,” Jimin offered cautiously, blinking up at Jeon Jeongguk nervously, ready to bolt should he show any signs of anger.
“Hello,” Jeongguk answered neutrally, looking at Jimin expectantly.
“I talked to my flat mate yesterday and it turned out he really was the one who opened my mail,” Jimin explained in a rush before his heart gave out and he’d have to run inside to hide forever from his mailman. “So I’m incredibly sorry for yelling at you like that yesterday and for accusing you without even checking the most obvious answer first and I just, um--” He thrust the thermos forward. “I made hot chocolate for you, as an apology. I’m really sorry.”
For a short moment, Jeongguk just stared at him silently, the tiny smile gone from his face and replaced by an expression of muted surprise, before he lowered his eyes to peer at the thermos. When he looked back up again, it was with a shy, questioning tilt of his head that had Jimin’s heart thump heavily against his chest.
“Y-you can keep it, if you want,” he stuttered, completely derailed by Jeongguk’s sudden display of vulnerability and the guarded way he was watching Jimin from dark, liquid eyes. “Or throw it away. I just, I feel so bad about yesterday, I wanted to make it up to you.” If Jeongguk looked at him like that any longer, his heart would explode, Jimin was sure of it. When Jeongguk reached out to take the thermos from him and their hands brushed, Jimin’s knees wobbled a bit.
“Can I-can I return it to you?”
It took a moment for Jimin’s brain to work again and process the question. “Of course!” he hurried to say, a little too loudly. “Of course you can! I’d be happy to see you again,” he tacked on boldly, trying to keep his heart from jumping out of his throat and instead feign cool collectedness.
Any chance of that evaporated at the slow, molten smile spreading across Jeongguk’s face as he clutched the thermos to his chest, still looking at Jimin with that shy gaze. “Me too.”
Jimin couldn’t help the stupid, goofy grin that broke out across his own face in response. He sheepishly nodded at the thermos, rocking back onto his heels. “Um, my number is in the cup, actually. So you can, you know, give me a call or text me when you feel like it. If you feel like it.”
With every passing second, confidence seemed to flow back into Jeongguk. “I will,” he replied easily, leaving no room for doubt. “Thank you.”
“So, um, yeah,” Jimin said, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. “You probably have work to do. I guess I’ll see you around then.”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk answered, his tone warm and sweet, and Jimin was about to turn away when Jeongguk spoke up again. “Just… I don’t actually know your name, so…”
The mortified flush returned to Jimin’s face with a vengeance. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” he choked, trying hard not to retreat into his coat like a turtle. “It’s Park Jimin. This is so embarrassing,” he tacked on under his breath.
Jeongguk’s smile was so bright it burned the self-flagellation for his awkwardness right out of his mind. “Then I’ll see you, Jimin-ssi.”
His face still red and his heart skipping in his chest, Jimin returned inside. Maybe he’d just have to forgive Taehyung for being stupid. It got him a date with Jeon Jeongguk after all.
Pairing: Jimin/Jeongguk
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluffy humor. I guess?
Word Count: 2'053.
Warnings: (none) (The rating is for a bit of language.)
Disclaimer: While the content of this story is inspired by real events and people, any references made are entirely thought up by the author and in no way reflect actual actions and opinions. Any similarities are coincidence.
Summary: An indignant confrontation with his mailman about opened envelopes leaves Jimin with the tragic realization that his best friend is a damn idiot and that he probably just ruined his chances with Jeon Jeongguk for all eternity by accusing him of being some kind of weird stalker.
Notes: Cross-posted on AO3 and tumblr. Just a very quick thing written to write anything at all because my words refused to work for the longest time. Based on this prompt from otpprompts on tumblr.
Jimin frowned down at the envelope in his hands. Torn open, again. What the hell?
He dropped his work bag in front of their shoe rack, distractedly toeing off his outside shoes, eyes still fixed on the open envelope. It had been happening a lot lately that he found his mail already opened in the spot that his flat mate Taehyung always left it for him, on the small table right next to their front door. On most days, he found it still sealed as it should be, haphazardly placed next to the bowl with keys and pretty stones and cheap action figurines that took up most of the table top. But for a few weeks now, there’d be days when he came home to mail clearly addressed to him, ripped open and waiting for him.
Being the friendly person he was, Jimin had overlooked the matter the first three or four times, and maybe forgotten about it a fifth or a sixth time because work was stressful and his brain was overloaded with remembering to buy new detergent or calling his aunt for her birthday. But even he had a limit.
There were going to be words with his mailman.
Maybe it was a stroke of luck or maybe the righteous gods were on his side, but as it happened, Jimin had four days off stretching out in front of him, so the next morning found him outside of their apartment building, shivering in the cold winter air as he waited for their mailman to show. To work himself into the right state of mind, he had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a dark scowl on his face. He was just checking his cell phone for the time when he caught a glimpse of ugly light blue vest moving into his field of vision.
“Hey!” he called, shoving his cell phone back into his pocket and surging forward to confront the jerk, not caring how rude he sounded. “You there!”
The mailman stopped and turned towards him, looking surprised. And Jimin almost stumbled over his own feet with the way he screeched to a halt because goddamn, the guy was younger than expected and incredibly attractive. Jimin’s gaze automatically zeroed in on the ID dangling from his neck. Jeon Jeongguk, it read.
“Yes?” the mailman said hesitantly, eyeing Jimin carefully.
The rustle of paper from the torn envelope Jimin was clutching brought his brain back on track. Right. He was angry at the mailman. He brandished the envelope in Jeongguk’s face, shaking it indignantly. “I’ve been finding my mail torn open all the time these past few weeks when I got home. Is that supposed to be some stupid joke? That’s private correspondence! I can get you fired for that shit if you don’t stop it!”
Jeon Jeongguk stared at him, a puzzled frown on his face that didn’t make him one jot less attractive and Jimin could feel the weight of his intense look burning into his skin, sending blood rushing to his face with every heavy thump of his heart. He could already feel some of his wrath draining away to be exchanged by giddy butterflies. God, he was too weak to confront this person for much longer. He’d just melt into a starry-eyed puddle any second. Luckily, Jeon Jeongguk finally shook his head the tiniest bit in an apologetic gesture. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir. I haven’t been opening any mail, I wouldn’t do that.”
The nerve. “Well, how do you explain my opened mail then? Ghosts? Magic? Repeated break-ins?” Jimin shot back snottily, giving him a haughty look and pointedly ignoring the fact that he had to look up for that because Jeon Jeongguk was taller than him.
“I don’t know.” Jeon Jeongguk shrugged calmly. “A family member? Roommate? Anyone with a house key?”
Jimin snorted. “And why would my flat mate suddenly start opening my mail after two years, with no explanation and no apology? I think you’re just trying to blame someone else to get out of this.”
“Maybe he didn’t realize it wasn’t his mail?” the mailman replied, sounding a little annoyed by then. “Listen, mister, I can only tell you again that it wasn’t me. Did your flat mate tell you your mail arrived in that condition? Because if he did, he’s lying.”
“He--” Jimin started, only to break off mid-sentence when he realized he hadn’t actually asked Taehyung about the opened envelopes at all. He’d just come out to confront the mailman. “You know what? Let’s just end this conversation here and, um, I’ll go talk to my flat mate about this.” The hot flush covering his entire face, his ears, and even his neck certainly wasn’t thanks to Jeon Jeongguk’s attractiveness this time.
Jeon Jeongguk smiled, tiny and amused, one corner of his lips quirking up higher than the other and he reacted a lot more graciously than Jimin might have in his shoes by just nodding his acceptance silently and letting Jimin speed-walk away with some shreds of dignity left. He spent the rest of his day on the couch, staring at the ceiling and wavering between cringing because he rudely accused an innocent mailman of reading his correspondence and scowling because he let his righteous anger be misdirected to poor Taehyung so easily. When Taehyung’s key sounded in the lock, Jimin shot up from the couch and almost crashed into the wall in his mad sprint to the door.
At his sudden appearance, Taehyung jerked, staring at him with wide eyes and a spooked expression, their day’s mail clutched to his chest in a defensive gesture. “Holy shit, you scared me. What’s wrong?”
Jimin grabbed him by the shoulders. “Did you open my mail sometimes the past few weeks?”
“What?” Taehyung whined exasperatedly. “Why’d you attack me like that to ask if I opened your mail? I almost died from shock!”
“Did you or did you not?” Jimin demanded, shaking him pointedly because this was important, dammit!
“I did! Accidentally, okay?” Taehyung said loudly, voice coming out weird through Jimin’s shaking.
“What?! Kim Taehyung, oh my fucking God--”
“Why are you freaking out?” Taehyung shouted back, pushing off Jimin’s hands with a miffed face. “It’s not even a big deal! I wasn’t paying attention and so I just ripped open everything instead of just the ones for me. I didn’t look inside, though, I swear! So just chill, man!”
“Chill?!” Jimin yelled back, raking his hands down his face in utter frustration. “Kim Taehyung, I swear!” Letting out a wordless shout of rage, Jimin turned on his heel and stomped back into the living room, throwing himself back down on the sofa to bury his head in the cushions.
He heard Taehyung drop his shoes by the door with a clatter and then shuffle up to the couch. “What’s even going on? I mean, I’m sorry I accidentally opened your stuff, but why are you so angry?” Jimin felt him settle down on the floor next to the couch and give his butt a pat. “Come on, Jiminnie. What’s up?”
Jimin let out a deep sigh, burrowing deeper into the sofa. “I yelled at our mailman today because I thought he was the one opening my mail.”
“Oh.” There was a pause. “Oops?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you, idiot,” Jimin muttered back bitterly. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Well, no biggie,” Taehyung said cheerfully, giving Jimin’s butt another slap. “You never see him anyways, so you can just forget it ever happened.”
“But I don’t want to never see him again.” Jimin assuredly wasn’t pouting.
“Ooooh. I see. So he was hot, yes?”
“I hate you. It’s all your fault.”
“Then just go out tomorrow and apologize,” Taehyung suggested blithely. “You’re cute, he’ll probably forgive you for being a dick.”
Jimin blindly kicked out with his leg and was satisfied to connect solidly with Taehyung’s body, drawing a pained grunt from him. “I’m not forgiving you just yet, so get away from me.”
Grumbling under his breath, Taehyung disappeared into his room, leaving Jimin to his moping.
-
The next morning found Jimin once again shivering outside his apartment building, this time with a decidedly more humble air. Instead of an envelope, he was clutching a small thermos in his hands, filled with hot chocolate and a note of heartfelt apology tucked into the cup that sealed it. If his number was also on the note, no one could blame him for not trying his all.
Jeon Jeongguk didn’t look half as surprised to see him as the day before. He wore that tiny, amused, and slightly quirked smile again, watching with piercing eyes as Jimin shuffled up to him, cheeks already pink with mortification.
“Um, hi again,” Jimin offered cautiously, blinking up at Jeon Jeongguk nervously, ready to bolt should he show any signs of anger.
“Hello,” Jeongguk answered neutrally, looking at Jimin expectantly.
“I talked to my flat mate yesterday and it turned out he really was the one who opened my mail,” Jimin explained in a rush before his heart gave out and he’d have to run inside to hide forever from his mailman. “So I’m incredibly sorry for yelling at you like that yesterday and for accusing you without even checking the most obvious answer first and I just, um--” He thrust the thermos forward. “I made hot chocolate for you, as an apology. I’m really sorry.”
For a short moment, Jeongguk just stared at him silently, the tiny smile gone from his face and replaced by an expression of muted surprise, before he lowered his eyes to peer at the thermos. When he looked back up again, it was with a shy, questioning tilt of his head that had Jimin’s heart thump heavily against his chest.
“Y-you can keep it, if you want,” he stuttered, completely derailed by Jeongguk’s sudden display of vulnerability and the guarded way he was watching Jimin from dark, liquid eyes. “Or throw it away. I just, I feel so bad about yesterday, I wanted to make it up to you.” If Jeongguk looked at him like that any longer, his heart would explode, Jimin was sure of it. When Jeongguk reached out to take the thermos from him and their hands brushed, Jimin’s knees wobbled a bit.
“Can I-can I return it to you?”
It took a moment for Jimin’s brain to work again and process the question. “Of course!” he hurried to say, a little too loudly. “Of course you can! I’d be happy to see you again,” he tacked on boldly, trying to keep his heart from jumping out of his throat and instead feign cool collectedness.
Any chance of that evaporated at the slow, molten smile spreading across Jeongguk’s face as he clutched the thermos to his chest, still looking at Jimin with that shy gaze. “Me too.”
Jimin couldn’t help the stupid, goofy grin that broke out across his own face in response. He sheepishly nodded at the thermos, rocking back onto his heels. “Um, my number is in the cup, actually. So you can, you know, give me a call or text me when you feel like it. If you feel like it.”
With every passing second, confidence seemed to flow back into Jeongguk. “I will,” he replied easily, leaving no room for doubt. “Thank you.”
“So, um, yeah,” Jimin said, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. “You probably have work to do. I guess I’ll see you around then.”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk answered, his tone warm and sweet, and Jimin was about to turn away when Jeongguk spoke up again. “Just… I don’t actually know your name, so…”
The mortified flush returned to Jimin’s face with a vengeance. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” he choked, trying hard not to retreat into his coat like a turtle. “It’s Park Jimin. This is so embarrassing,” he tacked on under his breath.
Jeongguk’s smile was so bright it burned the self-flagellation for his awkwardness right out of his mind. “Then I’ll see you, Jimin-ssi.”
His face still red and his heart skipping in his chest, Jimin returned inside. Maybe he’d just have to forgive Taehyung for being stupid. It got him a date with Jeon Jeongguk after all.