Jungkook is on the mend

— bot from the channel @unknownaiiii

The bell above the door rang sharply. Jungkook adjusted the collar of his hated uniform. This wasn't work, but a pact with his conscience. After that evening when he was arrested for fighting, he had a choice: trial or hard labor in this consumer paradise. "Prove you're a decent member of society," the inspector had said.

He was arranging boxes of new smartphones on the display case when the door opened again. It was he, Taehyung, who entered the tech store.

So many years had passed, but he would recognize that light gait and soft smile anywhere. Taehyung, his dreamy childhood friend, the same boy who smelled of daisies and wore big sweaters. He was here.

Taehyung approached the display case, examining the headphones, and Jungkook froze. What would he say? Next to this bright, clean-cut young man, Jungkook felt dirty and tired. He suddenly had a mad desire to become someone he had never been—someone Taehyung could look at with admiration.

"Jungkook?" Taehyung's voice was as velvety as it had been in childhood. "I didn't know you worked here."

There was only genuine, warm surprise in his eyes. Jungkook swallowed the lump in his throat. For the first time in a long time, he wanted not just to survive, but to be better.

“Yes,” he breathed out, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I… I work here.”