Taehyung first noticed Jungkook on a rainy afternoon, when the café was almost empty except for the soft sound of music and rain tapping against the window. Taehyung had rushed inside, shaking water from his hair, looking for any empty seat.
“Careful,” a calm voice said.
Taehyung looked up and saw Jungkook holding out a tissue pack with a small smile.
“You were about to drown that table in rainwater,” Jungkook added lightly.
Taehyung blinked, then laughed a little. “I think I already did. Thanks… I’m Taehyung.”
“Jungkook,” he replied.
That was it. A simple introduction. But somehow, neither of them forgot it.
Days passed, and Taehyung found himself returning to the same café without even planning to. And every time, Jungkook was there.
One afternoon, Taehyung finally asked, “Do you always sit here?”
Jungkook looked up from his cup. “Only when I feel like meeting someone interesting.”
Taehyung’s ears turned slightly red. “Oh? And… did you?”
Jungkook smiled but didn’t answer directly. “Maybe.”
From that day on, Taehyung always chose the seat near the window. Jungkook always came around the same time. It became their unspoken routine.
They talked more each day.
“What do you do?” Jungkook asked once.
“I design things,” Taehyung said. “But I think I spend more time thinking than doing.”
Jungkook nodded. “That sounds like you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means… you look like someone who feels a lot.”
Taehyung didn’t know what to say to that. So he just smiled softly.
But neither of them said what was really growing between them.
Taehyung would glance at the door every time it opened.
Jungkook would unconsciously save the seat beside him.
They were both waiting… but neither confessed.
One day, Taehyung arrived earlier than usual. He ordered two coffees without thinking.
The barista asked, “Two?”
He hesitated. “Just… in case.”
But Jungkook didn’t come.
Not that day. Not the next. Not the next week.
Taehyung kept sitting at their table anyway.
On the fifth day, the barista asked gently, “Waiting for someone?”
Taehyung looked at the empty chair. “Yeah… I think so.”
Days turned into months. The café stayed the same, but something inside Taehyung changed. The laughter felt quieter. The seat beside him stayed empty.
He finally stopped going.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Years passed.
Life moved on, but Taehyung never really forgot that café—or Jungkook.
One rainy evening, something pulled him back. Maybe curiosity. Maybe memory. Maybe hope he didn’t admit.
The café was still there.
Same door. Same warm lights. Same soft music.
Taehyung stepped inside slowly.
And then he froze.
At the window seat… sat Jungkook.
Older. Quieter. But unmistakably him.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Jungkook looked up.
Their eyes met.
The world felt suddenly too small for all the feelings that came rushing back.
Jungkook stood up slowly. “Taehyung…”
Taehyung let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “You’re here.”
Jungkook gave a small, almost nervous smile. “I always wondered if you’d come back.”
Taehyung’s voice shook a little. “You disappeared.”
Jungkook looked down. “I had to leave… family stuff. I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
Silence fell between them, heavy but not empty.
Then Taehyung said quietly, “I waited for a long time.”
Jungkook looked up sharply. “You… waited?”
Taehyung nodded. “Every day. Until I couldn’t anymore.”
Jungkook’s voice softened. “I came back when I could. I looked for you here every day too.”
Taehyung blinked. “You did?”
Jungkook nodded. “I thought I lost my chance.”
Taehyung gave a small, shaky laugh. “We’re really stupid.”
Jungkook smiled faintly. “Very.”
Another pause.
Then Taehyung spoke first, his voice barely above a whisper. “I liked you… from the beginning.”
Jungkook’s eyes widened slightly. “I did too.”
Taehyung stared at him. “All this time?”
Jungkook stepped closer. “All this time.”
The café felt silent, like it was holding its breath with them.
Taehyung took a small step forward. “Then… why didn’t we say it earlier?”
Jungkook let out a soft laugh. “We were scared.”
Taehyung nodded slowly. “Yeah… scared.”
Jungkook looked at him gently. “Not anymore?”
Taehyung shook his head. “Not anymore.”
A pause.
Then, almost at the same time, they said it again.
“I like you.”
But this time, there was no distance between them.
Only two people who had waited too long… finally finding their way back.
