TAEHYUNG was used to being alone.
Not alone in the sense of actually being alone, but feeling alone despite being in the midst of people. A feeling of loneliness that would never leave him and always rest on the back of his mind.
To him, it felt better being actually alone then feeling alone when there were supposedly people 'close' to him surrounding his space.
Like now while he was standing behind the cash register of the convenience store as evening approached with its blue cloak. He had gotten this job three days ago and he noticed there would never be any customers around this time.
That's why, this had become his favourite time of the day.
A few minutes later his shift would be over and he would leave closing the door until the other part timer would come according to their time.
Till then Taehyung would enjoy the falling evening by standing there in silence while his red headphones would hang loosely around his neck blaring some music he'd have on shuffle.
He liked the feeling of having the headphone playing music on his neck sometimes, rather then placing it on his head. The music would distantly reach out to his ear as if it was coming from another place, a faraway place from this.
Kind of like the reminiscent of the old radio his grandma would play at the house while he would play on the lawn outside by himself. Sometimes he would put his ear carefully on a window and listen to the old pop music standing there, rather than going inside.
He always knew he was a bit peculiar. But that was okay.
As he slipped away from his green vest and took a step outside the register he heard the bell of the store chime. Two people entered disrupting his last few seconds of lone enjoyment.
However, the two shorter ( than him) boys were very familiar.
"Yoongi hyung?" Taehyung stood in awe, the music had stopped and the red headphone laid on the back of his neck without serving its purpose.
Yoongi too stood silently but only for a second before he slowly strutted toward the register, getting behind it and pulling out another green vest from his bag. "I work here."
He was the other part timer Taehyung was unaware of.
"Oh, I had gotten the job here a few days ago," he answered but only then he remembered the other lad standing there, the one he had completely brushed off when in their drunken states a few nights ago that very lad made it clear he wanted some form of acknowledgement being born in the same year.
Taehyung was just about to do that but when he turned around Jimin wasn't there.
Another clicking sound made him follow to see that the said boy was opening the refrigerator of the store. Taking out two ice cream cones he came and placed them on the cashiers table.
"Wait," Taehyung pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. "Let me pay for those." Taehyung wanted to make up for ignoring him unknowingly, even if it was a small approach.
"It's okay," Jimin already had his money placed on the counter.
Yoongi was the one who took the money now being the store worker. Taehyung watched from the corner of his eyes that Jimin gave one of the cones to Yoongi who looked a bit surprised, even though Taehyung couldn't clearly see his face with Yoongi's side facing him, he knew.
The bell chimed again when Taehyung left the store putting on his brown leather jacket, the chill evening air making him shudder a bit. He was about to put his music on and actually wear the headphone this time for his few minutes walk back home but then he heard a small voice.
The owner of the small voice, who was small too compared to Taehyung came from the back and held out the cone of ice cream to him. "This one's for you."
Now it was Taehyung's turn to feel astonished, only a little, albeit he took it from Jimin's little hands. "Thanks. Aren't you going to have any?"
"I think you forgot I had a high fever a few days ago," Jimin had a knowing look on his face and Taehyung almost made another shrewish comment that a little ice cream would hurt nobody, but he stopped himself.
"Wanna walk home together?" he asked instead.
Jimin nodded and with that Taehyung lead the way as he started pulling the wrapper of the ice cream. "Why did you come outside if you would buy nothing?"
From the corner of his eyes again he saw the smaller shrug. "I was bored at home so I thought of going for a walk. And I wanted to see where Yoongi hyung worked too."
"He does a few part time jobs though-" suddenly Taehyung halted in his track making the other stop too. Hastily he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, his other hand holding the ice cream.
"I owe you twenty dollars," he said but the problem was with his other hand occupied he did not know how to take out the money, so he held it toward Jimin.
"Take those two ten dollar notes out," he shoved it to the shorter in which Jimin only gave him a wide eyed look. "Just like that day."
Jimin hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth from Taehyung's face to his wallet. "Come on!" the blue haired grumbled growing impatient.
Finally Jimin did it, carefully he put his fingers inside the wallet and took out the money but Jimin looked so ashamed and guilty doing so that Taehyung almost felt bad.
"You said we were born in the same year. You're not disrespecting me as I was the one to tell you to do that," Taehyung huffed out, tired of looking down on him all the time. He put back his wallet and focused on the ice cream instead. "Now we are even."
Jimin still did not look much convinced, with a hand on the back of his head he kept scratching there looking ahead on the road. "If you don't mind me asking one question, why did you need that twenty dollars the other day? The cafeteria food is really cheap."
Taehyung licked on the ice cream that was on the verge of melting from the top. With the taste of vanilla on his tongue he looked up at the dark sky to remember the events from that day.
"Oh, my friends wanted me to pay the bill for the lunch. Why are you giving me that look-"
When Taehyung had his eyes down from the sky to Jimin's face there was a clear look of disappointment marred on his face. Taehyung did not know why it broke something inside of him, only a little bit.
"They are not bad friends. They are not 'bullying' me or something," Taehyung emphasised on the word bullying, his tone mocking. "I often eat with their money too. It's kind of like a routine for us, at certain days a certain friend would pay for everyone's meal. It was my turn that day."
Jimin nodded to himself, not looking convinced again. At least he was staring ahead and not giving Taehyung that look.
What Taehyung said was true, but it only broke him because Jimin's face reminded him that he did not belong there with his group of friends, not that it was Jimin's intention.
"So why the part time job?" Jimin asked again, kind of aimlessly as if he was just trying to make a conversation. But they had already reached the dorm.
"You said it was only one question," Taehyung eyed him with a wary look and Jimin looked away muttering a sorry, though he did not need to.
That was the problem with Jimin. He did not only look small, he felt small, as if he was inferior than everyone. It was not what Taehyung was thinking but it was the vibe Jimin radiated from the very first day since the blue haired had seen him.
And it made Taehyung feel really small too. Because deep inside it evoked a thought, even if Jimin was anything like him.
The nagging thought that being peculiar was not okay. Being Taehyung was not okay.
He needed that certain group of people, 'friends' around him even though he felt like he didn't belong there. Because Jimin would invoke the thought too that Taehyung was not okay feeling alone any less than being alone. Taehyung did not even know why.
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A/n: if you haven't realized from the description OR this chapter already but there will be 7 sets of stories.
7 of the boys will have their own chapters. It's kind of like a new concept but everything I'm doing in this book is new for me and my readers. Hope you'll stick around till the end <3