21 - Towards greater things

You

I stare blankly at the juice box in my hand—the same juice box I almost handed to a wide-eyed five-year-old earlier, only to realize at the last second that it wasn't a juice box at all. It was a stapler.

If Eunji hadn't caught me, I might've very well traumatized the poor kid for life.

"Okay, that's it." Her voice slices through the fog in my brain. "What the hell is going on with you?"

I blink at her from across the small break room in the kindergarten. The fluorescent lights flicker slightly, making her furrowed brow and pursed lips look even more severe.

"What do you mean?" I mumble, fiddling with the glue gun, though I don't know why—I'm not even sure what I'm making at this point.

"I mean," she says, plucking the glue gun from my hand and placing it far, far away from me, "you've been a ghost all day. You barely ate at lunch, you're zoning out every five seconds, and you almost gave a kid a glue gun instead of their drink." She crosses her arms. "And don't even try to tell me you're fine."

I swallow, avoiding her gaze, but I know there's no escaping Eunji once she gets like this.

"It's nothing" I say quietly, though my voice cracks at the end.

She doesn't buy it for a second.

"It's him, isn't it?"

I freeze.

"I knew it," Eunji scoffs. "I told you, Y/n. I told you this was going to happen. I said this was exactly what I didn't want—some guy waltzing into your life and messing with your head. And now look at you."

I can feel my throat tighten, but I still don't say anything. I just stare at the table.

Her voice softens—slightly. "Do you want me to beat him up? Because I will. No joke. I'll find him and kick his fancy corporate ass for making my best friend feel like this."

Despite the ache in my chest, I huff a small laugh. "You can't just beat up Jungkook."

"Watch me," she says, dead serious. "No one messes with my girl."

I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. Leave it to Eunji to threaten bodily harm one minute and hug me the next.

There's a brief silence before she speaks again. "You need a distraction."

I blink. "A distraction?"

She nods, her eyes lighting up. "The list."

It takes me a second to catch on. "The list?"

"Yes! Your list" she says, already grabbing her coat. "We're crossing something off today."

I hesitate. The list was supposed to be my way of reclaiming myself—pushing past my comfort zone after everything I went through. But lately, it's just felt like an afterthought.

"I don't know, Eunji..."

"Nope." She tugs me to my feet. "We're doing this. I don't care if I have to drag you through every item one by one—you're not going to sit here and mope."

Before I can protest again, she's already pulling me out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

I don't fully register where we are until I'm standing in front of a tattoo parlor.

The neon sign buzzes above the entrance, casting a faint blue glow on the sidewalk.

"Eunji..."

"You said you wanted a tattoo" she says simply. "It's on the list."

I exhale slowly, my pulse quickening. It is on the list—but I didn't think I'd be doing it today.

Before I can think too much about it, Eunji pushes the door open, and the soft chime of a bell announces our arrival.

The shop is sleek but welcoming—walls lined with intricate designs and photos of clients showing off their ink. And then there's him.

Jimin.

The most attractive tattoo artist I've ever seen.

His bleach-blond hair falls into his dark eyes, and the curve of his lips is equal parts mischievous and charming. His black T-shirt reveals a canvas of tattoos up his arms, and when he looks up and smiles, I swear Eunji lets out a barely contained oh my God.

"Ladies," Jimin says smoothly. "What can I do for you?"

Eunji grins. "She wants a tattoo." She thumbs at me, and Jimin's smile widens.

"First tattoo?" he asks, his gaze sliding to me.

I nod, a bit awkwardly.

He claps his hands together. "Love that. It's always an honor to be someone's first."

Jimin leads me to a chair, his touch gentle as he adjusts the armrest. "So," he says, "what are we doing today?"

I hesitate for a moment before speaking. "Two words. On my shoulder blade."

He raises an eyebrow. "Which words?"

"Ad Maiora."

From behind me, Eunji tilts her head. "What does that mean?"

"Towards greater things."

Jimin's smile softens. "I like that."

The process begins. The buzz of the tattoo gun is sharp, and the first prick of the needle makes me tense—but I bear it well, biting down on the discomfort.

Jimin talks to me through the process, keeping me distracted, and Eunji occasionally checks in, though most of the time she's too busy scrolling through his Instagram, probably planning her own tattoo.

It doesn't take long before Jimin finishes, wiping away the excess ink and holding up a mirror.

The words are perfect. Small, delicate, but powerful.

"Looks amazing" Eunji says. "You did great."

I smile softly.

I'm already pulling out my wallet to pay when the bell above the door chimes again.

And then I hear his voice.

"Hey, Jimin."

I freeze. Jungkook.

Jimin looks up. "Kook! You're just in time—give me a sec. Just gotta take care of this beautiful lady's payment first."

I turn slowly, and our eyes meet.

He looks... relieved. And worried.

"Y/n..." His voice is soft. "I was worried about you."

I swallow, unable to find words.

Jimin, ever the observant one, looks between us with a smirk, then turns to Eunji. "Hey, you wanna grab a corndog at the place next door? I have a feeling these two need a minute."

Eunji opens her mouth to protest but catches the look Jungkook and I are sharing. She sighs, grabbing her coat. "Fine. But you're buying."

The door chimes again as they leave.

And then it's just me and Jungkook, alone in the tattoo parlor.