Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jimin's car's engine grinded unhappily as he turned into the parking lot of Hybe Academy, easing into a narrow parking space beside an immaculate silver Lexus. Shutting off the car, he took the letter out of his bag and read it for the hundredth time.

December 5, 2024

Dear Mr. Park,

Your scholarship application has been reviewed, and you have been approved for the next phase.

Please bring your child to the Hybe main office on December 18 at 10:15 am for a brief interview.

Regards,
Wee Dajung
Principal
Hybe Academy

Jimin took a deep breath, knowing that interview could change his daughter's life forever, and looked in the mirror to compose himself. "Alright, you ready to go, kiddo?" He turned to smile at Doyeon in the backseat.

"I guess so…" Doyeon bit her lip nervously, fisting her hands in her shirt. "But Eomma, what if I’m not smart enough to go here?" She avoided Jimin's eyes.

"Hey…" Jimin said softly. "You remember a few weeks ago when I had a meeting with your teacher?"

"I don't understand." Jimin frowned. "Doyeon's never had a hard time with math or science before."

"That's the thing." Doyeon's teacher said. "I don't think the work is too hard for her. I think it's too easy. The fact is, with budget cuts and the teacher shortage, we just don't have the resources to give Doyeon what she needs to excel. Jimin-ssi, your daughter is honestly the brightest student I've seen in my 30 years of teaching and I'm afraid she's in danger of burning out. To really shine, Doyeon needs to be in a place that challenges her. And I might know where that place is." She slid a glossy brochure across the desk, an embossed gold crest gleaming in the fluorescent lights.

"Hybe Academy…" Jimin read out loud as he picked up the brochure.

"Ms. Pyo told me about the scholarship and she wrote you a recommendation letter." Jimin said.

Doyeon's frown only deepened. "But what if I can't do it? What if I mess it up?"

"You won't." Jimin assured her. "I know it's hard for you to speak up sometimes but if you start to freeze, just remember that I believe in you. I know you can do this." Doyeon stared out the window, her little face caught between excitement and nerves. "You need an energy zap?" Jimin asked.

The nine-year-old nodded, holding out her pointer finger. Jimin held out his own to meet hers. "Zap!"

Jimin smiled. "Alright, now you're all charged up so let's go kick butt."

Inside, a secretary waved them through into a cavernous office where the school principal glanced up from behind an imposing desk. "Hi, I'm here for the scholarship interview?" Jimin bowed in greeting, nudging Doyeon to do the same. "I'm Park Jimin and this is my daughter, Doyeon."

"Hello." Doyeon said nervously. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Principal Wee." The intimidating omega stood and gestured to the chairs across her desk. "Please, have a seat." Jimin sat down and Doyeon took the chair next to him, hands folded in her lap. "Well, I suppose we might as well get started. What, in your opinion, is the most important value to instill in our children?"

"It's most important to teach them curiosity." Jimin said. "It's crucial to encourage kids to question how things work, to explore, to love learning."

The principal raised an eyebrow, taking down a few notes. "I see you're not currently a resident of Seoul?"

"Well, if Doyeon were to receive this scholarship, we'd move here." Jimin said without hesitation.

"Do you think that would be economically feasible given your current job as a waitress?" Dajung asked.

Jimin nodded. "I have managed to save a little for the potential move and I'd find a new job here as soon as-"

The principal interrupted him. "To maintain this scholarship, you are required to be a member of our PTA, which would be a considerable time commitment."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Jimin said. "I'm used to balancing a lot of responsibilities."

"I'm sure." Dajung hummed. "I notice you've left the mate section of the application blank. "Would you be so kind as to tell me about Doyeon's father?"

A hot rush of anger flared in Jimin's chest at the mention of the alpha and he fought to keep his voice even. "Doyeon's father hasn't been in the picture for a few years." The principal frowned, typing something on her laptop. Jimin felt unease rising in his chest as the silence stretched. "Are there any more questions you need me to answer?"

Dajung cleared her throat. "Mr. Park…I'm going to be frank. I was not impressed by your application."

Eyes widening in disbelief, Jimin glanced over at Doyeon. Her hands clenched into fists and her brow furrowed. "I…but your letter-"

"My vice principal was moved by Ms. Pyo's glowing letter." Dajung said. "But I see nothing here that suggests your daughter is Hybe material."

"Are you serious?" Jimin asked. "She's already reading at a ninth-grade level! What about the science project I mentioned?"

"Ah yes, the Saturn model." Dajung said condescendingly. "While it was very artistic, it hardly proves she has a detailed understanding of the-"

Doyeon jumped to her feet. "I understand lots about Saturn! I wanted to make the Phoebe ring, but Eomma said it wouldn't fit in the car!"

Dajung blinked. "I'm sorry, the Phoebe ring?"

The nine-year old's face brightened, her body practically vibrating with excitement. "It's so cool! It's like 16,000,000 kilometers from the planet and it has a retrograde orbit!"

Jimin smiled at his daughter. "Why don't you tell her about Saturn's composition?"

"It's a gas giant because it's mostly made of hydrogen and helium." Doyeon said. "But a bunch of the planet isn't actually a gas at all. The pressure's so strong inside the planet, it smushes all the gases into their liquid form. It even gets solid near the very center. It's also the only planet in our solar system that's less dense than water. That means if you put it in a really, really big bathtub, it would float."

Principal Wee stared down at her forms then turned back to Doyeon, looking suddenly thoughtful. "Tell me, Doyeon…how would you calculate the surface area of a sphere?"

"Four pi times the radius squared." Doyeon rattled off.

"What are three things that distinguish insects from arachnids?"

"Insects have compound eyes, antennae, and six legs instead of eight."

"What year was Marie Curie awarded the Nobel Prize?"

Doyeon tilted her head. "Which one? Because she got one for physics in 1903 and one for chemistry in 1911."

Principal Wee sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. After a long moment, she turned to Jimin. "She's really only nine years old?"

"Nine and two thirds." Doyeon corrected.

"And she's wanted to be an astronaut since she was six." Jimin said. "She's got a whole life plan laid out. Majoring in astrophysics, pilot's license…step one is enrolling in an elementary school with a famously strong STEM program so…"

The principal paused for a long moment, then turned to Doyeon and extended her hand. "Well, nothing's official until all the paperwork is submitted but…Myung Doyeon, welcome to Hybe Academy."

March 2, 2025

Jimin and Doyeon wandered the bright airy mall, ready to pick up school supplies. "How are you feeling about tomorrow, kiddo?" Jimin asked. "You nervous?"

"Yeah." Doyeon nodded. "But I'm excited too. I can't wait to meet my new teachers and my class and see the science lab."

"That's great!" Jimin smiled brightly. "I know it's been crazy with the move and everything, but I think this is gonna be good for us. A fresh start."

As they paused to look at a map, a young omega came over from a nearby boutique, flashing a brilliant smile. "Hi! Today we're offering an amazing deal on personal wardrobe and hair styling. Can I offer you a coupon?"

Jimin gave her a polite smile. "That's very tempting but I don't know if I need a special makeover just to shop for school supplies."

"Tons of parents come here to get a fresh look for the school year." The boutique worker insisted, pointing to a gorgeous omega getting his nails done just inside.

"Wow…" Doyeon gaped. "He looks so fancy!"

"Moms can be kinda intense at the start of term." The employee frowned. "It's like Stepford Mates and Mean Omegas had a bunch of scary babies."

Jimin grimaced. "Great because I wasn't feeling like enough of an awkward peasant already." Taking in the omega's designer clothes and jewelry, a nervous knot started to form in his stomach.

The boutique worker glanced around furtively, lowering her voice. "Okay, do not tell my manager but we have a bunch of stuff in the back that's about to go to our outlet store. There's an outfit in there that would look amazing on you. Screw peasant, we'll have you strutting into the school like a queen." She didn't even give Jimin a chance to argue before dragging him into the boutique, the omega looking over his shoulder frantically at his daughter.

Before he knew it, he was leaving the boutique with a new sweater and pair of jeans at a discounted price that definitely made the purchase justifiable. "Okay, Doyeon, let's go find that department store." He took his daughter's hand to start leading her through the mall again.

A few minutes later, Jimin and Doyeon located the large department store and found their way to the book section. "Eomma, can I go look around?" Doyeon asked. "I wanna see if they have the new Athena's Voyage book!"

"Of course, kiddo." Jimin nodded. "Just stay in this section until I'm done shopping." Doyeon promised she would and ran off toward the kids' section while Jimin started looking around for school supplies. "Shit, I figured they would have notebooks or something around here." He mumbled to himself. Sighing, he wandered the aisles, scanning the shelves for any of the items on his list. Finally, he found a five-section binder on the very top shelf, the last one available. He strained to reach it, but another hand closed on it an instant before his. "Hey! I was trying to-" His words caught sharply as he turned to face a tall alpha in a suit.

The alpha stared at Jimin for a moment. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"You should be sorry." Jimin said. "That's my binder."

"Your binder?" The alpha raised an eyebrow. "I reached for it the same time you did. By whose authority do you claim this as your binder?"

"My authority." Jimin said, holding his hand out. "Now fork it over. My daughter needs it for school."

"So does mine." The alpha said, glancing at the list open on Jimin's phone and the logo at the top. "Hybe Academy?"

Jimin nodded. "About to start fourth grade. Now come on, can't you get a binder somewhere else?"

"As it happens, I can't." The alpha said. "This is the only free time I have for shopping this week. Have a little sympathy for a struggling single dad?"

"Nice try but this struggling single mom has no sympathy for binder thieves." Jimin said. "Gimme."

The alpha's eyes widened dramatically. "Thief? This is slander!"

Jimin snorted. "Tell it to a lawyer."

"I am a lawyer." The alpha smiled, revealing two of the deepest dimples Jimin had ever seen.

"Wow, okay." Jimin blinked. "Suddenly this entire interaction makes a lot more sense."

The alpha laughed before sheepishly offering Jimin the binder. "Sorry, force of habit. Here, you take it. I had an unfair height advantage. I’m Namjoon, by the way. Kim Namjoon."

"Park Jimin." He smiled. "How long has your daughter been at Hybe?"

"Since kindergarten." Namjoon said with a slight sigh. "Seems like just yesterday."

"This is my daughter Doyeon's first year." Jimin said.

"I figured as much." Namjoon nodded. "I would have remembered meeting you before."

Dropping the binder into his basket, Jimin scanned the rest of his supply list, brow furrowing. "Shit, I've only got half an hour before we've got to meet the new landlord and pick up our keys…I'm never gonna find the rest of this stuff."

"It would probably help if someone showed you where they hide the school supplies." Namjoon said. "Not to brag but I've done this supply run a few times. I got through my list in 15 minutes flat."

Jimin raised his eyebrows. "And you're willing to share your secrets? That's very charitable of you."

Namjoon leaned a bit closer. "Off the record, I may have the ulterior motive of wanting to get to know you better. It's rare to find someone so candid among the Hybe crowd.  You're a breath of fresh air, Jimin-ssi."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Jimin smiled. "I'd love your help."

"Excellent." Namjoon said. "Now that you've got your binder, what's next on the list?"

"Ultra fine tip colored pens, 24 pack." Jimin read off. "I didn't think Doyeon had any art classes this year."

"Those are for Mr. Gi's history class." Namjoon explained. "He has this thing about color coding notes. This way."

Chapter Text

Following Namjoon, Jimin squeezed past other shoppers in the narrow aisles until they finally made it to a section dedicated to school supplies. "So a lawyer, huh?" Jimin mused. "What kind of law do you practice?"

"A little of everything." Namjoon said. "Civil cases, family law, contracts…I like being free to take whatever compels me. If I'm not passionate about a case, I always feel like I'm doing my clients a disservice."

"That's very noble of you." Jimin said.

Namjoon reached out to pluck a slim cardboard box from a nearby shelf. "Here we are. Ultra fine colored pens. Next?"

Jimin consulted the supply list on his phone. "One protractor, five pocket folders, two glue sticks--clear."

"I see purple glue sticks have fallen out of favor." Namjoon chuckled.

Jimin followed Namjoon into another aisle and started flipping through a rack of folders. Smiling, Jimin pulled one that depicted a bunch of cats floating in space out to show to the alpha. "Doyeon will love this."

"Big fan of cats?" Namjoon guessed.

"Big fan of space." Jimin corrected. "Last year, we found glow in the dark stars at the discount store, and she spent an hour sticking them all over her room. Then another two hours redoing it because she realized her constellations were off by 20 degrees."

Namjoon raised his eyebrows. "And I thought my daughter was going over the top by insisting I hang all her posters exactly two inches apart."

Jimin chuckled. "I kind of miss when I could just plop Doyeon in the highchair with some puffs. Sure, she'd make a mess but at least it didn't come with a monologue attached. When did they start having opinions?"

"Mine?" Namjoon hummed. "About three seconds after she was born. Those puffs had better be apple cinnamon or they're going on the floor."

"The girl's got high standards." Jimin mused. "I bet she gets that from her dad. You don't seem like the kind of alpha who would settle for inferior puffs."

"Looks can be deceiving." Namjoon said. "I'm the easygoing one in the family."

Jimin looked Namjoon over skeptically, pointedly taking in his tailored business suit and sleek haircut. "Nope, I don't believe you. This whole situation screams, 'I'm an alpha who knows precisely what he wants and has a five-step plan for how to get it'."

The two of them moved efficiently through the store, chatting and laughing as Jimin checked items off his list one by one. "The elusive five pack of highlighters!" Jimin exclaimed as he grabbed the package off the shelf. "Mine at last!"

Namjoon smiled. "I don't know that I've ever seen a grown omega get so excited about pens."

Jimin shrugged. "When you've lived the kind of life I have, you learn to savor the little victories."

"And what kind of life is that?" Namjoon asked.

The omega hesitated before answering vaguely. "Hard." For a moment, he stood silent, turning the package of highlighters over in his hands.

Namjoon bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

Jimin shook his head slightly. "You don't have to be." He looked back up at the alpha. "Sure, it would've been nice if things were easy, but I have Doyeon." A soft smile tugged at his lips. "Everything I've done, it's somehow led to this wonderful, precocious, sunny little girl. I wouldn't give that up for the world."

"Doyeon's lucky to have a mom like you." Namjoon said sincerely.

Finally, they walked their full baskets up to the cash register to check out. "Thank you, Jimin-ssi." Namjoon said. "I can honestly say that this is the most fun I've ever had buying pencils and glue sticks."

"These are really nice pencils." Jimin said humorously.

"You're not wrong." Namjoon chuckled. "I hope I see you again soon."

Jimin nodded. "That seems likely. Our girls go to the same school now after all."

"So they do." Namjoon said. "I'm looking forward to meeting Doyeon. She sounds like a great kid." He paid for his school supplies and bowed his head slightly to Jimin in farewell, Jimin returning the gesture as Namjoon left the store.

Doyeon wandered over a moment later, glancing after Namjoon as Jimin bagged up his purchases. "Who was that? Did you make a friend?"

Jimin smiled at his daughter. "I think maybe I did."

***

Jimin parked behind the small apartment building in one of the cheaper neighborhoods in the general vicinity of Hybe Academy, everything he and Doyeon owned packed into the back of their car. He led Doyeon inside the building, the nine-year-old scrunching her nose as she looked around at the not so modern or updated space. "This place looks old"

"Well maybe it's a historical site." Jimin said positively. "Now that I think about it, isn't this where Geum Hana grew up?" He gasped dramatically. "I think it is! Doyeon, you're standing in the very spot where Lee Heisook's third cousin's sister-in-law once stood!" Doyeon stared at him. "Oh my god, this is where Geum Hana used to check her mail! Geum Hana touched this very doorknob! Doyeon, take my picture with the doorknob!" Rolling her eyes, Doyeon elbowed a button on the wall, summoning the ancient elevator to whisk them away to the fifth floor.

The elevator doors creaked open, and they walked down the dim hallway to number 508 where a colorful greeting card was taped to the door. Jimin set down his box and grabbed the card to read it. "'Welcome to your new home! From your neighbor, Ok Haru'. See, Doyeon? This place isn't so bad."

"Open the door!" Doyeon whined. "This box is heavy!"

The building had yet to be updated with electronic keypads like most dwellings had in modern times, so Jimin had to fumble with the keys he'd picked up from the landlord to get the door unlocked and opened. "Okay, your bedroom's gonna be the first door on the right so you can put your things in there." Jimin said as he let Doyeon in.

Doyeon gasped, her eyes widening. "I get my own room?" She sprinted out of sight, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Jimin chuckled to himself. "Put that kid on a hamster wheel and he could power the whole building." He mumbled to himself.

Doyeon came rushing back out of her room, carrying a small bulletin board under her arm. "Eomma, look what I found in the back of the closet!"

"What should we use it for?" Jimin asked.

"It can be like our scrapbook!" Doyeon exclaimed. "You said moving here's an important new beginning and you've gotta document important stuff for posterity."

Jimin smiled. "I love it. And I know just what should go on it first." Jimin pinned their welcome card from Ok Haru to the top left corner of the bulletin board. Then he hung the board on the living room wall, stepping back to admire it.

Doyeon nestled against his side and Jimin wrapped an arm around her, giving her a little squeeze. "Hey, Eomma? I like our new home."

"Me too, kiddo." Jimin said softly, bending down to press a kiss to the top of her head." Then he untangled himself from her so he could start unpacking the food they'd picked up at the convenience store just around the corner from their new apartment. "Alright, obviously they didn't have much in the way of real food at the convenience store, so dinner options are tteokbokki, kimbap, or ramen."

"I want rabokki!" Doyeon exclaimed, jumping excitedly.

***

Jimin and Doyeon arrived at Hybe bright and early for the first day of school. Inside, they crossed the spacious foyer and approached the window of the small uniform shop. "Hi, my daughter is starting grade four today." Jimin greeted the attendant with a polite smile. "Myung Doyeon?" The attendant nodded and turned to root through the uniform racks.

A small group of students passed by, whispering and pointing at Jimin and Doyeon. The students giggled and hurried away. Doyeon stared after them, mouth agape. "Eomma, I really get to wear a uniform like that? With the tie and everything?"

"That's why we're here." Jimin smiled as the attendant returned with two crisp, folded uniforms. Jimin glanced at the price tags and his heart sank. "Um, my daughter is here on a scholarship. I don't suppose…"

"Sorry." The attendant shrugged. "Academic scholarships cover tuition and lunch only. If these aren't in your budget, we have some secondhand uniforms from last year."

Doyeon peered over the counter, her whole face lighting up as she reached out to touch the pleated uniform skirt. "It's so pretty! How do they make the pleats like that? I like the shiny buttons!" Jimin looked from the uniform to Doyeon, feeling a swell of affection at the look of excitement and wonder on his face. He pulled out his phone to check his bank account. He had enough to afford the new uniforms, but it would be tight until he found a job and had a steady income. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his card to make the purchase. Doyeon squealed as Jimin inserted his card into the reader, snatching one of the uniforms and practically sprinting to the nearest bathroom to change. She emerged a minute later, twirling a little to make her skirt flare. "Eomma look! I look like I'm in a drama!"

Jimin smiled warmly. "You look adorable. Now let's get you to class." He took her hand and walked toward her classroom.

The teacher looked up as they entered the room and beamed. "Good morning! Are you here for class 4-7?"

"Yes we are." Jimin confirmed. "Doyeon here is pretty darn excited. Aren't you?"

Doyeon chewed on her lip nervously, staring at the teacher with wide eyes. The omega smiled, crouching so he was at Doyeon's level. "Hi! I'm Taehyung, the science teacher. You're new at Hybe, right? So you probably haven't heard about the classroom toll."

"Classroom toll?" Doyeon asked.

"Yep!" Taehyung nodded. "I'm afraid I can't let you inside until you pay the classroom toll with one totally awesome science fact."

Doyeon looked up and a huge grin lit up her face. "Did you know that Ceres used to be covered with ice volcanoes?"

"Wow, that is one awesome fact!" Taehyung exclaimed. "You may pass."

Jimin held Doyeon back. "Wait, before you go…" He knelt down, taking both of her hands in his. "You just be your curious, friendly, awesome self and I know you're gonna have an amazing day. I love you, Doyeon."

Doyeon smiled brightly. "I love you too, Eomma." Doyeon hugged Jimin tightly.

The omega closed his eyes for a long count of three before releasing his daughter. "Alright, go get them, kiddo."

As Doyeon scampered into the classroom, both Jimin and Taehyung straightened up and bowed to each other in greeting. "Kim Taehyung, fourth grade science teacher and Hybe's resident supernerd." Taehyung introduced himself. "You're Doyeon's mom?"

Jimin nodded. "I'm park Jimin. Nice to meet you, Taehyung-ssi."

"Just Taehyung's fine." He smiled.

"Alright, Taehyung." Jimin nodded. "I have to say, given what I've seen of this school, I was expecting someone…" He trailed off.

"Older?" Taehyung guessed. "Richer? Alpha-er?"

"I was going to say snootier." Jimin chuckled.

Taehyung grinned. "Turns out hiring committees will overlook a lot of culture fit issues if you wave a PhD in their face."

"Oh, is that all it takes?" Jimin asked.

"Don’t spread that around or everybody will go out and get one." Taehyung joked.

The bell rang and Jimin glanced at his watch. "I'd better go. Um, I don't suppose you know where the PTA meets? I'm supposed to join today."

"Probably in Conference Room A." Taehyung said. "Two doors down from the main office." He grimaced. "Best of luck in there. I wouldn't wish that pack of hyenas on anyone. Especially Hayoon."

Jimin blinked, a pit suddenly forming in the pit of his stomach. "Thanks?" He turned to leave the classroom with one more tiny wave in Doyeon's direction.

Chapter Text

Jimin poked his head into an aggressively modern conference room where a handful of well-dressed people lounged in plush leather chairs. "Hi, is this where the PTA meets?"

An omega sitting near the door turned to look at Jimin, giving him a thorough once over. She then flashed him a sugary smile. "Yes, this is the PTA. Are you a new member?"

"Yes, I'm Park Jimin." He introduced himself as he stepped further into the room.

The omega's smile faltered. "Right, the charity case."

Jimin raised an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me?"

"I recognize you!" Another omega at the table exclaimed. "Jinhwa, he's the one I saw at the mall yesterday." He smirked a bit. "Looked like you and Namjoon-ssi were having a grand old time. Lucky you."

Jinhwa's eyes widened. "Namjoon was talking to him? Surely you're joking, Seokjin."

An alpha down the table perked up. "Fascinating. I didn't think he ever left that brutalist concrete slab he calls an office."

Seokjin propped his chin on his hand, looking at Jimin with curiosity. "So what did you and Namjoon chat about? I haven't spoken to him much since-"

The door swung open, and the entire room went silent as a tall omega with a severe face strode in, binder in hand. "I see our new member is here. Jimin, was it? Please have a seat." Caught off guard by the omega's brusque tone, Jimin found an empty chair next to Seokjin and sat down. "Now, if there's nothing to add to the agenda-"

The alpha raised his hand. "Actually, Hayoon, have you given any more thought to-"

Hayoon cut him off with an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Hoseok, I saw your proposal for an all-organic lunch menu, but I think it'd be simpler to continue using the menu I provided last year, don't you?" She quickly moved on. "And Jinhwa, the North Field in Deungnamu Gongwon is not an acceptable venue for the school picnic. You'll need to call back and book the Lakeside Picnic Area instead."

"Oh, um, okay." Jinhwa blinked rapidly. "I'll get right on that."

Jimin leaned over to Seokjin, casually hiding his mouth behind his hand as he whispered, "Didn't realize the PTA was a dictatorship at this school."

Seokjin giggled, shooting a furtive glance at Hayoon to make sure she wasn't looking. "If she hears you, it'll be all 'off with your head'."

"Now," Hayoon placed her hands on the table. "Regarding next week's bake sale which will raise funds for the summer play. I've narrowed down the venue options to either the Kang Jinsol Concert Hall or the Sonamu Hosu Country Club. I'll make a final decision on-"

Jimin interrupted. "Sorry, you're booking a fancy venue for a bake sale?"

Hayoon raised an eyebrow at his incredulous tone. "You have an objection, Jimin-ssi?"

"I mean, why bother booking a venue?" Jimin asked. "We could just have it here."

Jinhwa furrowed her eyebrows. "But what about decorating? Table placement? Who would do all that?"

Jimin stared at her, trying to decide if she was being serious or not. "We would." He turned back to Hayoon. "It would be a lot more fun. I helped set up for a bake sale at Doyeon's old school and it was a blast! Such a great way to get to know the other parents."

Hoseok pursed his lips thoughtfully. "That does sound like a good idea."

"I'd love to design the decorations." Seokjin said. "I saw some adorable tablecloths the other day."

Hayoon cleared her throat, and the room immediately went silent. She held Jimin's gaze for a long, icy moment. Then she smiled. "You know, I think that's a marvelous idea, Jimin-ssi."

Jimin raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "You do?"

"Oh, yes." Hayoon nodded. "In fact, why don't you organize the bake sale this year? Since you're clearly such an expert."

"The bake sale that's next week?" Jimin asked for clarification. "You can't seriously expect me to-"

Hayoon cut him off. "After all, being a contributing member of this group is a requirement of your daughter's scholarship so I'm sure you'll be extra motivated to ensure this bake sale is a success." She closed her binder with a decisive snap and stood. "Meeting adjourned. Have fun."

Seokjin shot Jimin a sympathetic look as everyone else filed out of the conference room. "What the hell just happened?" Jimin asked.

***

A week into the school year, Jimin and Doyeon maneuvered through the crowded lobby of their apartment building on their way to school, Jimin struggling to juggle a stack of bake sale posters and his phone that was blowing up with texts from the PTA group chat. "Are we gonna be late?" Doyeon asked anxiously. "I think we're gonna be late. Eomma, do you need me to carry something so we're not late?"

"Doyeon, relax." Jimin said. "We have plenty of time before school starts. It's not the end of the world if we're on time instead of early." Doyeon nodded, taking a deep breath. "I just need to check the mail real quick so I can get our internet hooked up already."

"Yeah but-" Before Doyeon could finish her sentence, she collided with an unknown--and very attractive, Jimin couldn't help but notice--alpha carrying a guitar case. Doyeon and the guitar case hit the ground together with a heavy twang. "I'm sorry!" The nine-year-old began to panic. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's fine." The alpha said with a surprisingly gentle tone as he helped Doyeon to her feet and picked up his guitar. "Just watch where you're going next time."

"Is your guitar okay?" Jimin asked.

The alpha unclasped the lid of the case and peeked inside as Doyeon watched on nervously. "You know what?" He grinned at Doyeon with a twinkle in his eye. "It's so beat up, I can't even tell."

Doyeon frowned. "Do you want me to pay you back for the damages? I have 17,901 won in my piggy bank."

"I appreciate the offer, but I seriously doubt this thing is worth that much." The alpha chuckled, running his free hand through his very beautiful, thick hair to push it out of his face. "Sorry I whacked into you. If it happens again, I give you permission to kick me in the shins."

"Okay." Doyeon said with a quiet giggle.

The alpha slung his case over his shoulder and turned to Jimin. "I guess this is the part where we introduce ourselves?" Jimin asked.

"Depends." The alpha smirked. "Do you want to?"

Jimin smiled. "Jury's still out."

"Tell you what." The alpha cocked his head. "You think it over. In the meantime, I'm gonna grab my mail and leave."

"Thus cultivating an air of mystery?" Jimin guessed.

"Thus cultivating my paycheck." The alpha corrected. "As soon as you move, anyway. You're blocking my box." He winked and Jimin stepped out of the alpha's path with a mock indignant scoff, turning toward his own mailbox.

"He's cool." Doyeon whispered.

An omega in a wheelchair near them chuckled. "Just wait until you hear him playing that guitar through the wall at 3:00 in the morning." She smiled at them. "Hi there. You guys are the tenants in 508, right?"

Jimin nodded. "We are. And I take it you're the person who left us that nice welcome card?"

"Slick detective work." The omega who Jimin now knew was Ok Haru confirmed. "Me and the boyfriend are down the hall in 505."

"I'm Park Jimin and this is my daughter, Doyeon." Jimin nudged his daughter to encourage her to greet their neighbor.

Doyeon bowed politely. "I like your chair."

"Thanks." Haru giggled. "I'm pretty fond of it myself. I take it from the fancy pants uniform you go to that special school for genius kids?"

"It's called Hybe." Doyeon said.

Haru raised her eyebrows. "I have to ask…is that place secretly some kind of Hogwarts deal? Are you a witch? If you're a witch, you have to tell me." Doyeon giggled. "I knew it!"

Jimin smiled, only for one look at his phone to have him stressing. "And on that note, we are dangerously close to running late."

"Why don't I take that armload of bric-a-brac so you can open your mailbox?" Haru offered, holding her arms out.

"You and me are gonna be friends, aren't we?" Jimin said.

"Oh no, you've discovered my evil plan." Haru grinned. Jimin quickly gathered his mail and headed for the parking lot with Doyeon alongside Haru who was heading the same way. "So how are you two settling in here?"

Jimin sighed. "Well, I've already pissed off the PTA."

Haru winced. "I'm guessing these alarmingly sparkly posters have something to do with that?"

"My mom has to organize a bake sale." Doyeon explained.

"By yourself?" Haru's eyes widened.

Jimin rolled his eyes. "It's some dumb hazing thing."

"Who knew the PTA was so Game of Thrones?" Haru shook her head.

"I wish." Jimin laughed. "If I could just stab people, it would be a lot simpler."

As the three of them stopped to let a car pull out, Haru snapped her fingers. "By the way, I meant to ask. Do you have a job in town yet?"

Jimin shook his head. "I don't suppose you know anybody who's clamoring to hire a single mom with no degree?"

Haru grinned. "Funnily enough, I do. I work at Face, this clothing boutique downtown, and we just had someone quit. My boss is getting desperate."

"Desperate is good." Jimin said. "I like desperate."

"Perfect!" Haru exclaimed. "I'll let Jisoo know you're interested. Can you drop by sometime this afternoon?"

Jimin nodded. "You bet I can. Thank you so much." He and Doyeon parted ways from Haru, heading to their car.

"Bye Haru!" Doyeon waved. "It was nice meeting you!"

"Bye Doyeon! Watch out for Dementors!"

Jimin and Doyeon turned to face each other once they were at their car. "Okay, kiddo, let's get you to school." He loaded up the trunk while Doyeon got in, climbed into the driver's seat, and buckled his seatbelt. But when he tried to start the car, the engine stalled.

"Um, Eomma?" Doyeon frowned. "Why is the engine making that sound?"

"Because it's dead." Jimin groaned in frustration. "Shit. Okay, grab your stuff, we're gonna have to catch the bus."

A short while later, Jimin and Doyeon sat next to each other on the bus, catching their breath. "Well, that's certainly one way to start the day." Jimin laughed.

"We really need a new car." Doyeon said as the bus rolled out, its brakes hissing and whining. Jimin sighed and pulled out his phone to finally check his texts.

Jinhwa
What time does the bake sale start on
saturday?

Seokjin
2, right?

No. Again, it starts at 1, but everyone
should be there early to set up around
12

Seokjin
Okay so just to be clear, you want me to
bring rice cake?

Yes that's fine

Seokjin
Where am I supposed to get rice flour
on such short notice?

…the store?

But it doesn't have to be rice

Seokjin
How am I supposed to make rice cake
without rice flour?

Hoseok
I've heard you can substitute potato
starch

Seokjin
I am not making a potato cake

Just bring a cake. Any cake. Whatever
you want to make is fine.

Hayoon
please remove me from this group text

Jimin put his phone away, shaking his head in frustration. He glanced over at Doyeon, who was looking wistfully out the window, her chipper demeanor gone. "Hey, kiddo." He gently nudged her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Doyeon said quietly, fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve.

"So how do you like your classes?" Jimin asked.

Doyeon shrugged. "They're fine."

Jimin raised his eyebrows. "Just fine?"

"Taehyung-nim is nice." Doyeon said.

"But?" Jimin prompted her.

Doyeon stared down at her shoes. "This girl was really mean to me yesterday."

Jimin immediately felt his protective side flare up, his inner omega on alert. "Mean how?"

"Like yelling and calling me names. Just dumb stuff." Jimin started to ask another question but was cut off by an automated voice announcing their stop.

Chapter Text

Grumpy thoughts of motherly revenge simmered through Jimin's mind as he and Doyeon moved down the sidewalk, approaching Hybe. "Eomma, look at that!" Doyeon suddenly exclaimed.

Jimin followed her gaze to a poster in a coffee shop window advertising something called a Unicorn Cocoa. "Wow. That is certainly a beverage."

"It looks good!" Doyeon bounced on her toes.

"It looks like 6,000,000 calories." Jimin giggled. "Do you want one?"

Doyeon looked at him in excitement. "Can we?"

Jimin checked his phone for the time. "We would be pushing it on time, but we could squeeze it in…" One more look at his daughter's eager face had Jimin caving. "Alright, I'm making an executive eomma decision. It's cocoa time." Doyeon cheered as Jimin led her into the quaint coffee shop and stepped up to the counter.

"Hi, what can I get you this morning?" The barista greeted them.

"One large iced americano and that…thing." He gestured to the poster in the window.

The barista smiled as she rang them up. "One large iced americano and a unicorn cocoa surprise."

"Extra whipped cream please." Doyeon requested. "But not a lot of sprinkles."

"Sure thing." The barista nodded. "You can go ahead and take a seat, and we'll have them out to you shortly."

Jimin paid for their order then grabbed a table by the window with Doyeon. After a few minutes, their drinks were brought out. "It's so fancy!" Doyeon squealed before taking a big sip of her drink, immediately jerking away and fanning her mouth. "It's hot!"

"Give it a minute." Jimin giggled. Doyeon begrudgingly blew on her cocoa to cool it, taking tiny careful sips after. "So now that we're here…Let's talk about what's going on with you." Jimin tilted his head. "You said you're getting picked on?"

Doyeon ducked her head, her smile fading. "Oh, uh, actually it's not me. It's this…other girl I know."

Jimin hummed although he wasn’t buying it. "And what is this girl's name?"

"…Seoyeon."

"I see." Jimin played along. "And what kind of stuff do the other kids say to 'Seoyeon'?"

Doyeon's face fell even further. "That she's poor. And trashy."

Jimin frowned, his heart tugging for the pain he knew his daughter was in. "How does Seoyeon feel about that?"

"Bad." Doyeon said quietly.

"Does Seoyeon think she's poor?" Jimin asked.

"I don't know." Doyeon shrugged. "Maybe."

Jimin bit his lip as he considered how to proceed. "Let me ask you this. What do you think that word means?"

Doyeon furrowed her eyebrows. "What word?"

"Poor." Jimin said.

"Oh." Doyeon frowned. "That you don't have as much money as other people and stuff?"

"Okay." Jimin nodded. "And do you think not having as much money as some other people makes Seoyeon a bad person?" Doyeon shook her head and Jimin smiled. "Me neither. So I guess it's just other kids being stupid then." A smile returned to Doyeon's face as she took another small sip of her drink. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Doyeon set her cup down and shook her head. "I don't think so. The other kids would probably just be meaner to me if I got them in trouble." Her eyes widened. "I mean Seoyeon. They would be meaner to me if Seoyeon-no wait, I meant…shoot!" She sighed while Jimin bit back a laugh. "The truth is, I made Seoyeon up."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out." Jimin said.

"You're not mad, are you?" Doyeon asked.

Jimin reached out to take her hand. "Of course not. But you know you can talk to me about stuff like this, right?"

"I know." Doyeon nodded.

"Then why don't you tell me what's really going on?" Jimin asked.

Doyeon took an exaggerated deep breath. "Well, this one girl, Sohee, yelled at me and made me get off the swings. And then this boy Soobin said my shoes are old and ugly and I probably got them out of a dumpster. And then this other boy Sooho said I smelled, and he kept faking like he as gagging but then he almost threw up for real."

Jimin clenched his fist under the table and looked out the window, thinking of all the parents he'd like to hurt. "They shouldn't treat you like that. I'm sorry."

"What do I do if it happens again?" Doyeon asked.

"You should stand up for yourself." Jimin said. "If we let people say and do what they want, they'll walk all over us. You've got to show them you won't put up with it."

"How do I do that?"

"You give it right back." Jimin said. "If they call you a trash girl, you call them nasty little twerps. If they push you, you push right back."

Doyeon nodded. "I think I can do that."

Jimin reached out to take Doyeon's hand in his again. "Listen, things might be funky for a little while. New stuff always is. But it'll get better soon." Doyeon nodded again, staring quietly into her drink while Jimin searched for the right words to say. "Do you remember when Appa left?"

"Sort of." Doyeon shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, I do." Jimin said. "It was one of the scariest times in my life. I had to take care of you all on my own and I wasn't ready. But you know how I got through it?" Doyeon shook her head. "I had you. I knew that I could get through anything as long as I had you in my life because being your eomma makes me stronger. And that's how the two of us are gonna get through anything bad that comes our way. By having each other's backs."

Doyeon smiled. "I'll always have your back, Eomma."

"Right back at you." Jimin giggled. Doyeon took another sip of her cocoa, already looking lighter and happier than before. Then a mischievous smile quirked at the corner of her mouth. She dipped two fingers into her whipped cream and dabbed it on Jimin's nose. "Oh, two can play at that game!" Doyeon laughed as Jimin scooped up his own gob of cream and flicked it across Doyeon's cheek.

"Eomma, don't get it on my uniform!" Doyeon whined.

"Hey, you started it." Jimin reminded her.

Doyeon's tongue darted out to lick the whipped cream off her cheek. "Mmm, caramel."

Jimin shook his head in amusement. "You're a goof."

"You raised me." Doyeon retorted.

As they finished their drinks and left the coffee shop, Doyeon was practically bouncing. "I have so much energy now!"

"Yeah that tends to happen when you eat marshmallows before 8:00 in the morning." Jimin mused.

"Can I eat marshmallows every morning?" Doyeon asked.

Jimin giggled. "Let's see how you feel around noon." Doyeon tugged her backpack over her shoulders and Jimin bent down to kiss the top of her head. "You know you're my special girl, right?" Doyeon smiled. "And you know I love you, right?"

"I love you too." Doyeon playfully rolled her eyes as the two of them continued down the street.

Once they arrived at the school, Jimin gave Doyeon one last hug then watched her race off toward the doors, backpack jostling with every step. "Have a good day!" He called after her.

"You too!" She waved over her shoulder. "Bye!"

With Doyeon safely inside, Jimin unrolled his posters for the bake sale. He was tacking a poster to a lamppost when the roar of a muffler made him jump. He turned just in time to see a cherry red bike cruise into the lot and glide to a stop. The rider took off their helmet and shook out their hair, revealing their identity as none other than Taehyung, the science teacher. He headed for the front doors before catching sight of Jimin. His face brightened as he made a detour his way. "Jimin! Hey! Dropping off Doyeon?"

"I am." Jimin nodded. "Or was. Now I'm hanging these." He lifted up his stack of posters.

"Bake sale posters." Taehyung mused. "How exciting."

"Not as exciting as that." He nodded towards Taehyung's bike.

Taehyung laughed. "Oh, that's my vehicular life partner, Tata. What do you think?"

"I think she's surprising." Jimin said. "A motorcycle's not your typical teacher transport."

"Meaning what?" Taehyung snorted. "A four-door shit pile from 1997?"

"Hey, that's the model I drive." Jimin joked. He shuffled the stack of posters under his arm, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I'm actually glad I ran into you. I wanted to talk to you about Doyeon."

Taehyung frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Jimin sighed. "She told me that a few of the kids have been picking on her. For not being as 'wealthy' as the average Hybe student."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised." Taehyung rolled his eyes before frowning again. "I also wish she would have said something to me. I could have nipped it in the bud then and there."

"I think she might have been embarrassed about the whole thing." Jimin said.

"Well, I'll be sure to keep an eye out." Taehyung promised. "And if I see anyone bothering her, I promise you I will swoop in talons first and put a stop to it. My class is not the place bright lights like Doyeon get dimmed."

Jimin smiled. "You really take teaching seriously. Going out of your way to help one student, that shows you really care about your work."

Taehyung shrugged. "What can I say? I have a passion for shaping the minds of our future leaders. They're gonna be the ones in charge when we're gone, and I'd like the world to still be around in 50 years." He glanced at his watch. "I've gotta run. But don't worry, your daughter's in good hands."

"I couldn't agree more." Jimin said as Taehyung gave him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder before heading inside. Jimin finished hanging up his posters before heading back toward the bus station. Then a pair of familiar faces caught his eye across the lot. "Well, they certainly seem friendly." Jimin murmured to himself as he watched Namjoon and Hayoon talking.

Namjoon spotted him and waved. Jimin took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and walked over. "Jimin, I thought that was you." Namjoon grinned.

"Here I am." Jimin said. "Oh, and look, it's Hayoon. Fun."

Hayoon gave him a tight smile. "Yes, how nice to see you. Was there something you needed?"

Jimin wanted to be petty. But he also needed to survive the PTA. So instead of making a comment about Namjoon needing rescuing, he said, "I thought we could talk about the bake sale."

There was a flash of sadistic glee in Hayoon's eyes. "Oh? And how's that going?"

"Great!" Jimin said. "I was just hanging up posters. Can't wait to see you there."

"I'm looking forward to it." Hayoon placed a hand on the shoulders of two boys by her side. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? These are my sons, Soobin and Sooho." Those names had Jimin's eye twitching. "Boys, say hello." Both boys bowed and mumbled a greeting to Jimin.

"Oh, I've heard all about these two." Jimin said through his teeth. "From my daughter. Doyeon." A look of fear crept over the boys faces as Jimin knelt down to their level. "I hope Doyeon has been nice to you two?"

"Um…yeah."

"She's okay."

Jimin nodded. "Good. Because I'd hate it if there was some kind of bullying going on and I had to step in." Soobin's throat bobbed as Jimin stood back up.

Hayoon looked confused but wary as she ushered the boys toward the doors. "Alright, inside before you're late. And you have fencing classes today so don't forget to be out front promptly at 1:30."

"Fencing classes." Jimin blinked. "I didn't know that was a thing people did in real life."

"Yeah, my daughter tried that for a while." Namjoon mused. "It was not a good fit. She almost took her instructor's eye out."

"That does seem like it would be frowned upon." Jimin said. "Or at least squinted at."

Namjoon chuckled. "There's a reason she plays soccer now."

Hayoon watched the two of them amicably chatting. Her nose wrinkled with irritation before she smiled and butted in. "Namjoon used to be quite the fencer himself, you know."

Jimin turned to Namjoon with interest. "Not really." The alpha denied. "I did it for like four months when we were in law school."

"I didn't realize you two went to college together." Jimin said in surprise.

"Oh, yes, Namjoon and I go way back." Hayoon's tone and smirk told Jimin everything he needed to know about exactly how they went back. "Well, I should be going. Off to work. Namjoon, can I look forward to the discovery files on the Hwang case today?"

Namjoon nodded. "I'll have my secretary drop them at your firm by noon."

Hayoon raised her eyebrows. "Any chance they'll be accompanied by a settlement agreement?"

"Unlikely." Namjoon said.

"Any chance you'll finally quit that little podunk private practice and come run with the big dogs?" Hayoon then asked.

Namjoon shook his head. "Very unlikely."

Hayoon hummed. "Can't blame me for trying." She gave Namjoon a parting kiss on the cheek before brushing coldly past Jimin.

Once Hayoon was out of earshot, Namjoon sighed. "Sorry about her. I know Hayoon can come across as kind of intense but she's a good person deep down."

"'Intense' is putting it mildly." Jimin snorted. "I'd probably say something more like 'rude' or 'infuriating' or 'giant pain in the ass'."

"Yeah, I guess those would all work too." Namjoon nodded.

The school bell rang, reminding Jimin of the time. "Sorry but I have to run too. I've got an interview downtown for a new job."

"That's exciting." Namjoon said.

"We'll see." Jimin said. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

"Hey nothing wrong with a little hope." Namjoon said.

Jimin shook his head a bit. "I'd just be happy for a little stability. Lately it feels like I'm juggling flaming chainsaws one handed."

Namjoon nodded in understanding. "I hear you. Between surprise trips to the principal's office and this class action case I'm working on, I've been juggling a few chainsaws myself. Soojin used to say-" Namjoon stopped speaking midsentence. His eyes widened then darted away from Jimin's gaze.

"Soojin?" Jimin asked softly.

Namjoon was quiet long enough that Jimin thought the alpha wouldn't answer. But after a while, he quietly spoke. "My mate. She, um, passed-no, killed. She was killed. About two years ago."

"That's awful." Jimin frowned. "Can I ask what happened?"

"Officially, a car accident." Namjoon said. "No one at fault. Unofficially, her brakes failed. Manufacturer defect."

"I'm so sorry." Jimin whispered.

Namjoon shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping this on you before a job interview."

"No, that's not-I mean, I’m sorry for your loss." Jimin said. "I can't imagine what it's like to lose your mate."

"It's…" Namjoon trailed off with a sigh.

"How's your daughter been handling it?" Jimin asked.

"Honestly, not great." Namjoon said. "With my job, Soojin was always the primary parent. So we're struggling a little right now." He cleared his throat, forcing a friendly smile. "Anyway, sorry. I should let you go."

"You don't need to apologize." Jimin said. "I just wish I could stay and talk."

"It's alright." Namjoon assured him. "Some other time. Walk you to your car?"

Jimin grimaced. "I took the bus. My car crapped out this morning."

Namjoon pursed his lips. "Where did you say your interview was again?"

"A clothing boutique downtown." Jimin said. "Face."

"That's right by the courthouse." Namjoon smiled. "Do you want a lift?"

"I wouldn't want to put you out." Jimin said.

Namjoon shook his head. "It's no trouble at all. In fact, it would be nice to pick your brain a little about raising a daughter. As a single parent, I mean." After a beat, he said, "Unless that would be weird."

Jimin smiled. "Thank you." He followed Namjoon to a black luxury hybrid.

Chapter Text

The AC whispered softly as Namjoon's hybrid quietly cruised along busy downtown streets. "I just realized I don’t actually know your daughter's name yet." Jimin said.

"Oh, it's Sohee." Namjoon said. Something about that name rang a bell but Jimin couldn't put his finger on it. Namjoon clicked the air conditioning off and swung the car through a turn. "Speaking of whom, I believe I said something about bugging you for parenting advice."

Jimin smiled. "The floor is open for questions. So what are you struggling with?"

Namjoon sighed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "I don't know. Everything was just so much easier when she was little, you know? The older she gets, the less I feel like I understand her. The kinds of problems she has, they're not problems I ever had to deal with when I was her age."

"Problems like the opposite gender?" Jimin guessed.

Namjoon let out a laugh. "Not yet, thank goodness. Luckily she's still at that stage where alphas have cooties."

"And hey, when the time comes, she may be interested in omegas instead." Jimin pointed out.

"That is also true." Namjoon nodded. Then a horrified expression crossed his face. "Oh god, she's going to want to talk to me about that sort of thing, isn't she?"

Jimin shrugged. "Only if you do your job right."

"True…" Namjoon sighed. "I barely survived puberty on my own. I don't know the first thing about what that's like for an omega."

"The best thing you can do is acknowledge that her experiences will be different from yours but let her know that you want to understand and help." Jimin said.

Namjoon nodded, frowning in thought as he looked at the cars in front of him. "Any advice on how to do that? Half the time I speak, I feel like she barely listens anymore."

"I try to just do the best I can." Jimin said. "The most important thing, I think, is to be honest. When I'm struggling, I just tell Doyeon that."

"Seriously?" Namjoon asked in surprise. "Aren't you afraid it'll…I don't know…shatter the illusion that you have your act together?"

Jimin shook his head. "Not even a little. Kids have pretty good bullshit detectors."

Namjoon took a moment to absorb what Jimin had told him, his fingers still tapping subconsciously on the steering wheel. "Thanks, Jimin. Really. You make it all sound easy."

"It's not." Jimin giggled. "I've just been doing the single parent thing a little longer than you. You'll get there."

"Soojin…" Namjoon said quietly before sighing. "She always knew how to talk to Sohee. They were inseparable."

Jimin frowned a bit. "How did Sohee handle her death?"

"She was still young." Namjoon said. "She didn't fully understand it at the time. In some ways, that was even harder."

"It was the same for Doyeon when my ex left." Jimin said. "I tried to explain but all the concepts were so grown up, she couldn't wrap her head around it. All she knew was that her father wasn't there and that broke my heart more than his leaving ever did."

"Yeah." Namjoon murmured. "There's nothing worse than knowing your kid is suffering and there's nothing you can do about it." His eyes glistened until he blinked, shaking his head. "Anyway, looks like we're almost there. Should I drop you on the corner of the courthouse?"

Jimin nodded. "Please."

After another few blocks, Namjoon steered the car into a double park and turned to Jimin. "Thanks for the ride." Jimin smiled.

"Thanks for the talk." Namjoon said.

"You're gonna do great." Jimin assured him.

"I hope so." Namjoon said. "But hey, at least now if I fuck up, I have someone to blame."

Jimin giggled. "In that case, I expect nothing less than perfection."

"I shall strive to live up to your expectations." Namjoon said.

Jimin moved to climb out of the car then paused. "Hey, Namjoon?" The alpha hummed. "Child locks."

"Shit, right, sorry." Namjoon quickly hit the unlock button repeatedly until Jimin was able to exit the car.

A few minutes later, Jimin walked into an upscale store lined with racks of designer clothing. He couldn't help but notice how expensive it smelled as Haru emerged from behind the counter. "I see you found the place." She smiled up at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Increasingly nervous." Jimin said. "This place is a lot nicer than I was expecting. I'm pretty sure those shoes over there cost more than my car."

"Hey, Jimin, look at me." Haru said firmly. "You are gonna ace this interview, okay? It's all about confidence."

Jimin nodded, taking a deep breath. "Right. Confidence. I can do that."

He heard the door to the back room creak open and a plump, kind faced omega approached him with a warm smile. "Moon Jisoo, regional manager of Face." She introduced herself.

"Park Jimin." He smiled. "Pleasure to meet you."

Jisoo led him to a pair of stools in one corner. "Alright, let's start simple. Why do you want to work at Face?"

"I love your store." Jimin turned up the charm.

"That's good." Jisoo nodded. "You should always love the place you work." She folded her hands in her lap. "Now, for my next question. Tell me, Jimin, what do you specifically have to offer our clientele?"

"I have years of customer service experience." Jimin said.

Jisoo smiled. "I thought I got that vibe from you. You really project confidence."

Jimin grinned. "That's what my high school guidance counselor always said." Behind Jisoo, he watched Haru give him a wide grin and two happy thumbs up.

"Okay, final question." Jisoo said. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Going back to school." Jimin answered honestly.

Jisoo made a noise of interest. "That's a noble goal. And exactly the kind of ambition we look for in our employees." She stood up. "I don't need to hear any more. I've made my decision." She smiled. "Welcome to the Face family. The job is yours."

Jimin's eyes widened. "You mean it? Just like that?"

"Just like that." Jisoo nodded. "I can tell you'll fit right in here. Also, we're very understaffed. Honestly, I'd probably hire a raccoon at this point. But let's not get caught up on details."

"Works for me." Jimin said.

"I'll see you bright and early, 9:00 Monday morning." Jisoo said.

Jimin nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

As Jisoo retreated to the back room once more, Haru wheeled herself over and squealed in delight. "I knew you could do it!"

"You were right." Jimin said. "I crushed that interview."

"Oh, I mean to ask, would you and Doyeon want to come by for dinner sometime this week?" Haru asked. "Not to brag but I make a badass jjimdak."

"That sounds amazing." Jimin said. "But unfortunately, we can't do soy sauce." Haru was extremely taken aback. "I know, very difficult for Koreans. But Doyeon's got a pretty severe soy allergy. Like the trip to the ER kind."

Haru nodded. "Say no more. I can find a substitute easily. No problem."

Jimin smiled. "Thanks. So when do you want to-" He was cut off by his phone buzzing. He dug it out of his bag and glanced at the screen. "What does Hybe want?" He mumbled in confusion as he answered the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak to Park Jimin please?"

"This is he." Jimin said. "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you but we need you to come in as soon as possible. Doyeon's been in a fight."

***

The principal's phone call continued to echo in Jimins' ears as he ran up the front steps at Hybe. Outside the main office, he found Doyeon and another girl he didn't recognize. As he approached, Doyeon looked up, her eyes red. "Eomma!"

"I got a phone call that said you were in a fight?" Jimin asked in confusion, shock, and disbelief. "What is going on?"

"I'm sorry!" The other girl exclaimed. "I started it! Please don't make Doyeon quit school!"

Doyeon shook her head quickly. "No, it was my fault! Sohee didn't do anything!"

Jimin's eyes widened a bit. "Did you say-"

"Sohee!" Namjoon rushed up, a stern look on his face. "Seriously? Again? I thought we had a deal."

Then it finally hit Jimin. "I knew I recognized that name from somewhere."

Namjoon seemed to just notice Jimin's presence and looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?" He looked between Jimin and the two girls, realization filling his features. "Oh no. Don't tell me."

Jimin nodded slowly. "I think your daughter's been bullying mine."

Namjoon turned to Sohee. "Is that true?"

"No!" Doyeon denied. "Sohee and me are friends!"

"That's not what you told me this morning." Jimin said. "I believe you said Sohee yelled at you and made you get off the swings."

"Sohee, look at me." Namjoon instructed. "Have you been bullying Doyeon?" Sohee's lip quivered, and Namjoon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Come on, Sohee. We talked about this. You looked me in the eyes and made a promise."

"But Sohee didn't start the fight!" Doyeon exclaimed.

Namjoon gave her a sad smile. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Doyeon. But you don't need to lie for her."

Doyeon shook her head. "I'm not lying."

"Yes she is!" Sohee insisted. "She's just trying to protect me! Soobin was being a jerk to Doyeon, so I pushed him on the ground. And I'd do it again."

"Did you say Soobin?" Jimin asked. "Hayoon's son?" Namjoon ran a hand over his face wearily.

At that moment, the office door opened, and Hayoon and Soobin stepped out. "Eomma, slow down, I have a rock in my shoe!"

"You can deal with it when we get home." Hayoon snapped. "Now stop whining and-" She stopped just short of colliding with Jimin and stepped back. She looked from Doyeon to Jimin and rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Oh perfect. Of course, her mother would be you."

Jimin crossed his arms over his chest. "Nice to see you too."

"Hayoon, I'm really sorry about this." Namjoon said. "Is Soobin okay?"

"He'll survive." Hayoon said. "And I don't blame you or Sohee for this. Honestly, I blame the school for lowering admissions standards."

"Your son started it." Jimin pointed out.

Hayoon glared at him. "Are you seriously trying to spin this? Your little guttersnipe of a daughter attacked my son from behind!"

"You can't possibly believe that." Jimin said.

"Oh, so now you're calling my son a liar?" Hayoon asked.

Jimin let out a laugh of disbelief. "If that's what he told you then yes! Absolutely!"

Namjoon tried to step between the two omegas. "Okay, let's all just calm down."

At that moment, the principal poked her head out of the office. "Namjoon, Jimin, I didn't realize you were here already." She looked from Jimin to Hayoon, the air between them practically crackling with electricity. "Is there a problem here?"

Hayoon cocked her head. "Nothing that won't work itself out. Come on, Soobin." She turned sharply, yanking Soobin along behind her as she strutted angrily down the hall. A few steps away, she stopped and looked over her shoulder with an icy smile. "I'm looking forward to the bake sale tomorrow." She and Soobin left.

Jimin felt the tendons in his hand unclench as Namjoon slowly exhaled. "Well let's get this over with, shall we?" The principal gestured for them to join her in the office.

Jimin and Namjoon took a seat in the chairs in front of the principal's desk as she sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "I have to say I'm disappointed, Namjoon. I was hoping this year would involve fewer meetings like this but here we are again."

"I know." Namjoon said quietly.

"And as for you and Doyeon, Jimin…I'm sure you recognize this isn't the greatest first impression?"

Jimin nodded. "For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure Soobin started the fight."

"That may be." The principal said. "But I'm not here to decide who said what on the playground. Hybe has a zero-tolerance policy on violence. Doyeon and Sohee will each be given a one-week suspension from school."

Namjoon's eyes widened. "A week? Dajung, come on. Sohee can't afford to be out that long!"

"And I certainly can't afford five days of childcare." Jimin said.

Dajung shook her head. "I'm sorry but my hands are tied."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna suspend Soobin?"

"That's not relevant here." Dajung said.

"So no." Jimin crossed his arms.

Namjoon's entire posture changed, his voice dropping into the ice-cold cadence of a prosecutor. "I don't know, Dajung. It seems pretty relevant to me."

"Soobin has no prior record of disciplinary actions." Dajung insisted.

Before Jimin could point out that Doyeon hadn't either, Namjoon asked, "Has he ever been involved in any other incidents?"

"You know that's confidential." Dajung said.

"So yes." Jimin translated.

Namjoon cleared his throat. "Let me see if I have this straight. You won't punish Soobin for being involved in a fight because he's never been punished for it before. But you have to punish Sohee because she's been punished before and Doyeon because she's new? That is a fascinating interpretation of zero tolerance."

Dajung tilted her head. "Are you cross examining me?"

"No if that were the case, we'd be in front of the school board going over the bylaws line by line." Namjoon said. "And I'd be wearing nicer shoes."

Knowing she was defeated, Dajung sagged in her seat. "Alright, I can let the girls off with a warning and a half day suspension. But I do not want to be in another meeting like this a week from now. Are we on the same page?"

Jimin smiled. "We are."

"Thank you, Dajung." Namjoon said.

"Good." Dajung nodded. "Then court is adjourned, counselor." She rapped her stapler on her desk twice like a gavel and Namjoon grinned as she gave him a weary look.

Chapter Text

Doyeon and Sohee skipped ahead as Jimin and Namjoon exited the school. Namjoon stopped at the bottom of the front steps, turning to face Jimin. "So that could have gone worse."

"Not by much." Jimin said with a tiny giggle. "You were terrifying by the way. She looked like she was about to confess to murder."

Namjoon shrugged. "Dajung's alright but I have to admit, it is fun when I get to use my Scary Lawyer Voice in real life."

Doyeon and Sohee sprinted back to them, hand in hand. "Eomma, guess what! Sohee and I are best friends now!"

Jimin raised his eyebrows. "That was fast."

"Well, she stood up for me against Soobin and Sooho." Doyeon said.

"Mostly Soobin." Sohee said. "Sooho's okay usually."

Doyeon smiled pleadingly up at Jimin. "Can Sohee come to our house for a sleepover?"

Jimin shook his head. "Not tonight, kiddo. You and me have a trip to the grocery store and a whole lot of baking to do." Namjoon suddenly swore under his breath as he checked the time on his phone. "Something wrong?" Jimin asked.

"I was about to text my sitter and ask if she could come over to the house, but I just realized it's almost rush hour." Namjoon said with a groan. "I'm gonna get caught in traffic on the way back to the office for sure."

Sohee frowned. "Are you gonna have to work late again?"

Namjoon sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. It looks like it."

"Where do you live?" Jimin asked.

"Over by Garden Heights." Namjoon said.

"That's not far from us." Jimin said.

Doyeon gasped in excitement. "What if Sohee rides the bus with us?"

Sohee beamed and nodded. "Appa, can I?"

"I mean, I don't want to impose…" Namjoon turned to Jimin. "But to be perfectly honest, that would be kind of amazing. I would really owe you."

Jimin smiled. "Gotta admit, I like the idea of a big shot lawyer owing me a favor. And you did help me take on the principal, so why not?" Both girls cheered.

Namjoon flashed Jimin a grateful look. "Thanks, Jimin. I owe you one."

"I'll remember that next time I get arrested." Jimin joked, waving to Namjoon as he led the girls to the bus stop.

***

Jimin watched the streets roll by through the bus window while Doyeon and Sohee chattered nonstop. "I've been to that restaurant!" Sohee exclaimed. "My dad took me there. You can get soup where the bowls are made from bread."

Doyeon's eyes widened. "Like you can eat the bowl?" Sohee nodded.

"Hey." Jimin gently got their attention. "Inside voices."

"Sorry." Doyeon said sheepishly.

Sohee giggled. "My dad says that too. A lot. Especially if we're at his office."

Jimin hummed. "Your dad sure works a lot, huh?"

"I guess." Sohee's face fell a bit.

"Does it bother you?" Jimin asked. Sohee shrugged, suddenly very quiet.

"What's your dad's job again?" Doyeon asked.

"He's a lawyer." Sohee said. "He sues people. Right now, he's suing a car company. He's pretty much gonna take all their money and give it away."

Doyeon's eyes widened. "Cool!"

As the bus climbed a hill heading uptown, Jimin eased back in his seat. "You guys wanna tell me about this fight now?"

The girls exchanged a look before nodding. "So we were in the cafeteria…"

Doyeon was picking at her lunch when a tray smacked down on the table in front of her. "Hey, Sooho, over here! I found a free table!"

"What do you mean?" Sooho asked in confusion. "Doyeon's sitting right there."

"Who?" Soobin made a point of looking around like he was searching for someone. "I don't see anybody." Sooho laughed nervously as they both sat down.

"What's your problem?" Doyeon asked.

Soobin smirked as he turned to his brother. "Did you hear something?"

Sooho frowned. "Soobin, come on, leave her alone."

"Leave who alone?" Soobin asked.

Doyeon glared at him. "Seriously? You're so stupid."

She tried to ignore them, but Soobin kept pushing. "What's that smell? Why does it smell over here?"

"I don't smell anything." Sooho said.

"It smells like farts and poor people!" Soobin cackled.

Doyeon's mom's advice about how to deal with bullies echoed in her head. "You better leave me alone or you're gonna regret it."

Sooho's eyes widened. "Hey, Soobin, maybe you should lay off."

"Lay off what?" Soobin asked, using his chopsticks to grab a gimbap roll directly off of Doyeon's tray.

"Would you shut up?" Doyeon snapped, flipping Soobin's tray over on the table. "Now can you hear me?"

Soobin jumped up from his seat. "You can't do that to me! My mom-"

His words were cut off midsentence as a pair of fists banged down on the table. "Leave her alone." Sohee glared at him.

"Or what?" Soobin asked.

"Or I'll beat you up." Sohee threatened, a slight growl to her words.

Soobin scoffed. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be!" Sohee shoved Soobin right out of his chair. He hit the floor with a bird like squawk as everyone around turned to look.

"What the heck, Sohee?" Sooho asked. "You can't just-"

"Shut up, dork!" Sohee turned her glare on him. "Take your stupid brother and get outta here before I kick him in the nuts!"

Soobin's lip quivered a bit. "I'm telling!" He scrambled to his feet and took off out of the cafeteria with Sooho right behind him.

Sohee turned to Doyeon. "You okay?"

Doyeon nodded. "Why did you help me?"

"Because Soobin sucks and I hate him." Sohee said. "Also, I felt bad for being mean to you at recess the other day."

"Why did you do that anyway?" Doyeon asked.

Sohee shrugged shyly. "I don't know. I just get mad sometimes. Dr. Jung says I'm supposed to do this thing where I count to 10 but I always forget."

Doyeon furrowed her eyebrows. "Who's that?"

"This omega I have to talk to since my mom died." Sohee said. "She's a therapist. She has pink hair."

"Cool!" Doyeon exclaimed.

Sohee smiled. "Do you want to be friends?"

Doyeon nodded. "Heck yeah!"

As Doyeon and Sohee finished their story, their faces glowed with pride. "And then we got in trouble, and you showed up." Doyeon said.

"Wow." Jimin blinked. "You know what, you did the right thing."

Doyeon's eyes widened. "Really? Even the shoving?"

"I mean, I'm not gonna tell you to go around beating people up." Jimin said. "But I'm also not gonna lie and tell you that it's never the answer. That being said, in the future, try not to throw the first punch. It looks bad." Both girls nodded in rapt attention as the bus pulled up to their stop.

A short walk later, Jimin found himself outside a sprawling gated house that could only be described as a mansion. "Holy shit…" He said under his breath.

"You live here?" Doyeon asked in awe.

Sohee shrugged. "It's not that big."

"It's like a castle!" Doyeon gushed.

As Jimin watched, the front door opened, and a babysitter waved. Sohee waved back before turning to Jimin. "Do you guys want to come in?"

Doyeon tugged on Jimin's arm. "Eomma, can we?"

"I'm sorry, hon, but we're all out of time." Jimin said. "If we don't get to the store soon, we're gonna be baking until midnight." Doyeon pouted as Jimin leaned down to press an apologetic kiss to the top of her head.

"Bye, Sohee." Doyeon waved to her new best friend.

"Bye, Doyeon." Sohee waved and smiled. "Thanks, Doyeon's Eomma." She pulled Doyeon into a bear hug before running inside. Jimin watched until the door closed, then he and Doyeon headed for the store.

***

Grocery bags full of baking supplies covered the kitchen. As Doyeon mixed cookie dough, Jimin juggled baking pans in the oven. "Okay so 10 more minutes on that pan, 15 more on this one-signs! We still have to make signs!"

"I can do that!" Doyeon offered. "Do you want me to do that?"

Jimin shook his head. "You keep stirring. I'm gonna raid your room for art supplies." He started toward her bedroom.

"Hey, Eomma, you left the oven open." Doyeon informed him.

"What the hell?" Jimin furrowed his eyebrows as he backtracked to the kitchen. "I could have sworn…" He pushed the oven door shut. The instant he took his hand away, it screeched open once more. "Do not mess with me, oven door." He used his Eomma voice on the inanimate object. "Not right now." He slammed the door shut and it ripped off the hinges, banging his knee as it clanged to the floor. "Motherfu-" He bit his tongue as tears sprung to his eyes.

Doyeon frowned in concern. "Eomma, are you okay?"

Jimin took a deep breath to calm himself down and turned the oven off. "I'm okay, kiddo. Everything's fine." Even still, he felt his face growing hot as Doyeon continued to watch him.

"Are you sure?" Doyeon asked quietly.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Jimin said softly. "Can you do me a favor and just stay here for a sec? And don't touch the oven." Doyeon nodded sadly and Jimin hurried out of the kitchen, fighting back tears as he pulled open the front door.

Jimin leaned back against the wall of the hallway, grinding the heels of his palms into his eyes. "I just wanted to make cookies." He mumbled to himself. "Why can't anything ever be easy?" Through a film of angry tears, he gradually became aware that someone else was standing in the hall with him. He turned his head to find the alpha from the lobby that morning. That time, he had a toolbox in hand instead of a guitar and a surprised look on his face.

"Um, hi?" The alpha greeted him awkwardly. "This is weird now."

"Why are you here?" Jimin asked with a sniffle.

The alpha blinked. "I live here. My apartment's right next door."

"I mean what are you doing outside my door?" Jimin clarified, slight annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Well, I was coming over to fix your oven." The alpha said.

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "How did you know-"

"So it was the oven?" The alpha's lips quirked. "I'm getting a little too good at this. I knew it had to be either that or the fridge." Jimin continued to stare at him in confusion. "Oh, half the appliances in here are from the 70s. Everybody in the building has had it happen at least once."

"And you just show up?" Jimin asked.

"Ordinarily no." The alpha said. "But when I'm trying to practice guitar and I hear swearing through the wall, yeah." He stood there awkwardly for a moment before speaking again. "Oh, uh, my name's Yoongi by the way. Min Yoongi."

"Jimin."

"Great." Yoongi nodded. "Now we're all friends. So do you want to let me in, or should I go back to my place and put on headphones?"

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "Are you angling for a date or a 'favor' or something?"

Yoongi scoffed out a laugh. "I see. Because I’m an alpha showing up at your door with a toolbox all, 'howdy, I'm here to fix your oven, if you know what I mean'?"

"It is a little on the nose." Jimin said with a giggle.

"I didn't even know who lived here until you opened the door." Yoongi informed him as if he were trying to reassure the omega. "So no this is not me trying to, like, woo you."

Jimin raised his eyebrows, unable to help the way his gaze ran over Yoongi as he bit his lip. Still just as attractive as Jimin had found him in the lobby. "That's a shame."

Yoongi's lips quirked. "Hey, I didn't say I might not ask in the future. I barely know you."

"Then get in here and we can talk while you fix my oven." Jimin smiled, leading Yoongi into his apartment.

Chapter Text

As Jimin led Yoongi into the kitchen. Doyeon looked up from the screen of his phone. "Eomma, did you know there are cookies you can make without baking? Maybe we could-" She cut off as she spotted the alpha.

"Doyeon, this is Yoongi." Jimin formally introduced them. "He's gonna help fix our oven."

Yoongi nodded at Doyeon. "Sup, kid."

Doyeon waved shyly. "Hi."

"What, do I smell bad or something?" Yoongi asked, sniffing his shirt.

"Kinda?" Doyeon said sheepishly.

"Doyeon." Jimin sent her a slightly stern look.

Yoongi chuckled. "It's cool. I work in a bar. That's fair." As Yoongi squatted in front of the oven, Doyeon shifted closer to spy on what he was doing. "You want to give me a hand?" He offered.

"Um, what would I have to do?" She asked.

"How good are you at holding a flashlight?" Yoongi asked.

The two of them set to work while Jimin tidied up the kitchen. "So you work in a bar?"

Yoongi hummed. "I mix drinks down at Drafthorse Brewing Company."

"Is that as pretentious as it sounds?" Jimin asked.

"Nah." Yoongi chuckled. "Way more. But the tips are good, and they kick me a couple thousand won to play guitar there twice a week so I can't complain." He popped the oven door off its hinges. "Alright, let's see here…hand me that socket wrench, well you? It's the one that looks like-" Doyeon was already holding the tool out to him. "Thanks." He raised his eyebrows in surprise as he took the socket wrench from her. "You, uh, you know your way around a toolbox, huh?"

Jimin giggled. "She's been playing with wrenches and building Lego spaceships since before she could talk."

"Oh yeah?" Yoongi asked with an interested tone. "What are you, some kinda rocket scientist?"

"I like space stuff." Doyeon said.

"Right on." Yoongi nodded. "Well listen, Rocket, I could use somebody with small hands to thread this screw down here. Think you could help me out?" The two of them replaced the broken hinges and began refastening the door. Yoongi craned his head inside the oven to tighten some bolts. "What were you guys making in here anyway? Smells like rugelach."

Jimin sighed. "They were gonna be chocolate chip cookies."

"What's arugula?" Doyeon asked.

Yoongi chuckled. "Rugelach. Jewish thing. They're kinda like croissants but with cream cheese dough and sweet fillings." He glanced at Jimin who had his eyebrows raised. "I used to make them with my ex." Yoongi shrugged.

Doyeon perked up. "That sounds good!" Yoongi finished what he was doing inside the oven, pulled his head out, and smoothly closed the door. "Eomma, look, we fixed it!"

Jimin smiled. "I see that! You guys rock!"

"She did all the work." Yoongi said as he rose to his feet. "Anyway, let me clean up and I'll get outta your hair."

Before Jimin could say anything, Doyeon suddenly asked, "Do you want to stay and bake with us?"

Yoongi chuckled. "I think your mom's probably sick of me by now, kid."

"I wouldn't say that." Jimin said while biting his lip, making Yoongi's lips quirk.

"Eomma, can Yoongi samchon stay?" Doyeon begged. "Please, please, please? He could teach us to make roogalar for the bake sale!"

"I mean, I could go get the recipe." Yoongi offered. "If you want it. It's kinda tricky to make though."

Jimin smiled. "Let's do it. Go get that recipe."

Yoongi headed back to his apartment and returned a few minutes later with a rumpled index card. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Jimin accepted the recipe card. "And here you go." He passed Yoongi an apron.

"What is this?" Yoongi asked as he eyed the fabric warily.

Jimin shrugged. "You said this stuff was hard to make, right? So stay and help us out."

Yoongi's lips curled up a bit. "Do I have to wear the apron?"

"You don’t have to." Jimin grinned. "You get to." Yoongi laughed but tied the apron on.

The three of them set to work mixing ingredients and doing prep work. "Okay, looks like you guys have everything we need." Yoongi said. "I'll make the dough. Doyeon, you do the filling. Jimin, you wanna chop the walnuts?"

While the three of them worked, Doyeon quizzed Yoongi about his music. "So how many bands have you been in?"

"Uh…14?" Yoongi answered. "15 if you count Big Mean Dog but we were only together for like three days."

Doyeon's eyes widened in awe. "Are you famous?"

Yoongi shook his head. "Not even close."

"Do you want to be?" Jimin asked.

"I don't know." Yoongi gave a noncommittal shrug as he began rolling the dough out flat on the counter. "I think I'd be satisfied just to earn a living from music. Though lately it seems like even that isn't in the cards."

"I think you'll make it eventually." Jimin said. "I mean, I don't know anything about the music industry but if you're good enough to play at a bar, that's gotta count for something, right?"

Yoongi chuckled. "Unfortunately, being good at music is only about 10% of being successful at it."

"What's the other 90?" Doyeon asked seriously.

"Knowing the right people, living in the right city, how much time and energy you have to do free gigs, luck." Yoongi listed off.

Doyeon frowned. "That's dumb."

Yoongi nodded. "Yes. Yes it is. But hey, I'm not trying to drag everybody down. How are those walnuts coming?"

"About as chopped as chopped gets." Jimin said.

"Hand me that knife?" Once Yoongi had it, he flashed the blade through the dough with surprising dexterity.

Jimin blinked at the sight. "What are you, a samurai?"

Yoongi nodded. "Yep, that's me. Korean samurai who happens to be well-versed in Jewish confectionary." Yoongi paused. "Actually, Korean Samurai is a pretty good band name."

"Hey, I think I'm done mixing this stuff." Doyeon said.

Yoongi checked the filling and smiled. "Looks good."

Doyeon bounced on the tips of her toes. "Can I like the eggbeater?"

"Do it over the sink so you don't drip." Jimin said.

Doyeon happily attended to the eggbeater while Yoongi spread the mixture out over each square of dough. "Now this is the tricky part. You have to roll them into little crescents but be careful the dough doesn't split."

Jimin began carefully rolling one up. "Like this?"

Yoongi leaned over, his shoulder brushing against Jimin's. "Not bad. You're a natural."

A few minutes of folding later, they'd rolled enough rugelach to fill a baking sheet. Jimin slid the pan into the oven, closed the door, and set a timer. "Now what?" Doyeon asked.

"Now we wait." Yoongi said. "And if you're my ex, you have a glass of whiskey."

"How about coffee instead?" Jimin offered.

Yoongi nodded. "I'd love some."

Jimin brewed a pot of coffee, poured two cups, and sat down at the table with. Yoongi. Doyeon joined them, sitting very tall and adult in her chair. "Eomma, can I have some?"

"You can try a sip." Jimin said. "But you probably won't like it." He pushed his cup toward Doyeon.

She lifted it to her lips, took a small sniff, then drew the tiniest sip. Her face immediately scrunched. "Gross."

"Told you." Jimin giggled as Doyeon took a second sip.

"I thought you said it was gross." Yoongi said.

"It is." Doyeon nodded. "But I kinda like it too."

Jimin reached out to take the coffee back from her. "That's enough for now. I don't need you bouncing off the walls at 2:00 in the morning." Doyeon looked almost disappointed.

Yoongi cleared his throat. "So you guys just moved here, right?"

"Yeah, Doyeon got a full ride to Hybe." Jimin said.

"The fancy school?" Yoongi raised his eyebrows as he turned to Doyeon. "Well look at the brains on you! How you liking it so far?"

Doyeon shrugged. "It's okay."

Jimin bit back a grimace. "She got in a fight today."

"That sucks." Yoongi frowned. "Let me guess. Some little rich punk picking on you for not owning your own jet?"

Doyeon looked at him in shock. "How did you know?"

"Some things never change." Yoongi said with a quiet scoff. "The city's full of snobs. Don't let it get to you."

"Did you go to Hybe?" Jimin asked.

Yoongi snorted. "I went public school on the other side of the tracks. Literally and figuratively."

"Sounds familiar." Jimin murmured.

Laughing, Yoongi shook his head. "Man, the things we used to get away with. I knew one guy who used to skip class and party five days a week all through high school. Now he's some kinda tech bro billionaire. Go figure."

Doyeon's eyes widened. "You can skip class?"

"You can if there's 50 students for every teacher." Yoongi chuckled to himself, lost in memory.

"Eomma, where did you go to school?" Doyeon asked.

"The same school you used to go to." Jimin said.

"Did you like it?" Doyeon asked.

Jimin nodded. "School was some of the best years of my life. I loved it." He looked out the window, happily reminiscing. "I don’t know. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic. I'm sure I had bad days too. But the thing I remember most about being our age is freedom. Exploring. Reading new books, playing new games, trying new foods, making new friends…" He shared a smile with Yoongi. "It's a special time, kiddo. Do your best to appreciate it even when it's hard." Doyeon stared at the table, brow furrowed in thought.

"Hey, Rocket." Yoongi nudged Doyeon. "You got a good eomma here, you know that?" He winked at Jimin, making the omega flush.

"I know." Doyeon smiled.

Right on cue, the oven beeped. They all made their way over, suddenly keenly aware of the delicious aroma hovering in the air. "Okay, moment of truth." Jimin said in anticipation. "Y'all ready for this?" He opened the oven, and a warm nutty smell burst into the kitchen.

"They smell so good!" Doyeon gushed.

Jimin smiled as he carefully pulled the pan out. "They don't look half bad either!" He set the pan on the stovetop. Golden brown pastries shone in the light like the cover of a magazine.

"But the important question is how do they taste?" Yoongi asked.

Jimin shrugged. "You're the only one who's had them before, so you'll have to help us judge."

They pried three pastries up off the tray, blew on them until they were cool, and all took a bite at the same time. "This is the best thing I ever tasted in my whole life!" Doyeon exclaimed.

"Damn, that's not bad." Yoongi smiled. "Maybe not quite as good as my ex's but they're not that far off either."

"Sounds like we'll have to try again sometime." Jimin smiled.

"Maybe next time we could try making them at my place." Yoongi suggested.

Jimin bit his lip. "Maybe we could." He finished his pastry, washed it down with coffee, and breathed a contented sigh. "Thanks for your help, Yoongi. This night has seriously turned around."

"Happy to help." Yoongi said. "So I take it I'm not gonna hear any more profanity through the walls?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jimin laughed.

Yoongi gathered up his tools and the three of them headed toward the door. A few steps away, Yoongi paused as something on the wall caught his eye. "What's this thing?"

"That's our New Beginnings board." Doyeon said. "We hang stuff up to help us remember new memories."

"Cool." Yoongi nodded.

Jimin suddenly remembered, "Don't forget your recipe card!" He hurried to grab it from the counter and bring it back to the alpha.

Yoongi smiled a bit. "Why don't you hang on to it?"

"Are you sure?" Jimin asked.

"Something tells me you'll get more use out of it than I do." Yoongi said. "Besides I have the recipe practically memorized if I ever do need it."

Jimin smiled. "In that case…" He pinned it to the bulletin board for easy finding.

"Okay, that is the cutest shit I've ever seen in my life." Yoongi said, making Jimin laugh. "I'm gonna leave before they revoke my Cool Guy card." He reached out to ruffle Doyeon's hair. "Later, Rocket."

"Bye!" Doyeon waved as Yoongi left. Jimin closed the door behind the alpha then turned to his eagerly bouncing daughter. "Can I have another rugelach?"

"One." Jimin agreed. "Then you have to help me bake a few dozen more. Something tells me we're gonna need them." The two of them spent the next several hours filling containers and making signs before calling it a night.

Chapter Text

Jimin and Doyeon woke up bright and early to get ready for the bake sale. As Jimin stood in front of his closet, trying to decide what to wear, Doyeon poked her head into his bedroom. "Are you still getting dressed? We're gonna be late!"

"Then why don’t you help me pick an outfit?" Jimin suggested, pulling clothes from his closet until he had two outfits laid out on his bed. "So Option A, normal eomma clothes. Stylish. Comfortable. Chic." He held up the sweater and jeans combination to give her a better idea.

Doyeon giggled. "What's Option B?"

"This super fancy outfit that makes me look like a cool bake sale boss who has his life together." Jimin said as he set the sweater and jeans down. "And makes Soobin's mom look like a jerk." He added on as an afterthought. He picked up the yellow sundress with white floral pattern and held it to himself.

"You look so pretty!" Doyeon gushed. "You should wear that one."

Jimin looked at himself in the mirror with the dress in front of him. "You know what, you're right. I should wear this one."

Once Jimin was ready, he and Doyeon carried dozens of bags of rugelach and bake sale supplies down to the car, tossing them in the backseat. "What if the engine doesn't start again?" Doyeon asked as she climbed into the passenger seat while Jimin settled into the driver's seat.

"It will." Jimin assured her.

"How do you know?" Doyeon asked.

Jimin shrugged. "I just have a good feeling. Things are about to start turning around for you and me. Starting right…now!" He turned the key and the car roared to life. He and Doyeon highfived. "Bake sale, here we come!"

About an hour later, Jimin was stationed at a table in the center of the lobby. All around him, the annual Hybe Bake Sale was in full swing, and his table was so busy he could barely keep up. "Thanks for stopping by, have a nice day, tell your friends! Next!"

Dajung walked up to the table with a smile. "Doyeon, Mr. Park. I have to say, I'm impressed. You two are killing it over here."

Jimin smiled. "Thanks! Can I interest you in some rugelach?"

"Are they vegan?" Dajung asked.

"These aren't because they have cream cheese." Jimin said. "But I did make one batch that uses almond yogurt just in case."

"That was my idea!" Doyeon exclaimed.

"Sounds delicious." Dajung said. "I'll take three."

Jimin rang the principal up and sent her off with a bag of baked goods. As the flow of customers slowed, Jimin took a moment to peek inside the cash box and was happy to find it practically overflowing. "Hot dog, I think we're actually pulling this off, kiddo!"

Across the room, Jimin spotted Namjoon and Sohee browsing a table. Sohee waved to Doyeon. "Do you still need help?" Doyeon asked.

"No, you're fine." Jimin said. "Go be with your friend." He slipped Doyeon a 10,000 won note from his wallet, gave her a kiss, and smiled as she hurried off into the crowd.

Taehyung walked up to the table shortly after, a warm smile on his face. "If I didn't know better, I'd think I was watching Great British Bake Off. How are things selling?"

"Dangerously." Jimin said. "We're almost sold out."

"Okay seriously for your first PTA event?" Taehyung shook his head slightly. "You're kinda crushing it."

Jimin breathed out a laugh. "It's been kind of an ordeal."

Taehyung nodded in understanding. "I can imagine. Let me guess, the queen bee threw you feet first into the deep end?"

"Something like that." Jimin muttered.

"Buzz buzz!" The queen bee herself appeared with her worker bees, Jinhwa and Hoseok. "My ears are burning." She glanced at Taehyung briefly. "Taehyung."

"Hayoon." Taehyung replied. "Jinhwa."

"Hoseok!" The lone alpha cheered.

Taehyung ignored him. "I heard about the fight yesterday. How's Soobin doing?"

"He's fine, thank you for asking." Hayoon said.

Hoseok frowned. "It's just a shame the whole thing even happened."

Jimin nodded. "Sure is."

"Too bad there weren't any teachers around." Jinhwa said meaningfully.

Taehyung smirked a bit. "Yes, I'm sure if there had been, things would have gone very differently."

Hayoon turned to Jimin. "How did your meeting with Principal Wee go? I gather little what's her name wasn't expelled?"

Jimin glared at her. "Doyeon is fine."

"So glad to hear it." Hayoon said. "It would have been awful if you two had to leave Hybe right after starting."

"Oh, I think we'll stick around for a little while yet." Jimin said. "We're two tough cookies."

Hoseok laughed. "Bake sale jokes! I get it!"

Hayoon smiled but her eyes shot daggers at Jimin. "Right. Well. I just wanted to check in and see how things are going over here in case maybe you needed some help?"

Jimin shook his head. "Nope. Things are going great! We've made a little over a million won so far."

"You what?" Hayoon stared at him in shock.

"That can't be right." Jinhwa said.

Jimin smiled. "I think it helps that I'm wearing my lucky dress."

"Also, that your table looks like a magazine spread." Hoseok pointed out.

Jimin swept a platter up off the table and framed it with his other hand like a cooking show host. "Hayoon, would you like to try some rugelach? They're traditional Jewish pastries from a top-secret family recipe."

Hayoon blinked. "I-I'm fasting."

"I'll try one." Hoseok said, already pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"No, you will not." Jinhwa hissed. "You're gluten free for the next two weeks, remember?""

Hoseok's face fell. "Damn, that's right. Goddamn snack profile." He shook his head. "Classic level one mongoose, am I right?"

"I have no idea what those words mean but okay." Jimin nodded.

Taehyung pulled out his wallet. "I'll take one." He handed Jimin a crisp 10,000 won note, took a pastry, and brought it to his mouth. The instant he took a bite, he practically melted. "Oh my god, where has this been all my life? These are incredible!"

Hayoon and Jinhwa glowered while Hoseok was practically drooling. "Well, I'm glad to hear that everything is going well." Hayoon said. "Please let me know if there's anything you need help with."

"Okay, thanks, bye." Jimin waved.

As the three of them left, Taehyung chuckled. "Okay, that was pretty great." He said.

Jimin smiled. "Not gonna lie, I enjoyed that."

"Have they been giving you shit like that since you got here?" Taehyung asked.

"Yeah, but whatever." Jimin shrugged. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"How about Doyeon?" Taehyung asked. "How's she settling in? Liking all her classes okay?"

Jimin nodded. "Loving them. Especially yours. She yaps my ear off about you every chance she gets."

Taehyung smiled. "I'm really pleased to hear that. She's a great kid. I'm glad you guys are shaking things up around here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Hybe. But it can feel a little country club if you know what I mean. It's nice to have a friend."

"Same here." Jimin smiled. "Especially one who likes my kid."

"How could anyone not like Doyeon?" Taehyung asked seriously. "She's adorable."

"That's what I'm saying!" Jimin laughed just as Doyeon returned with a brownie in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey Eomma!" Doyeon said excitedly. "There's a table over there with cookies shaped like atoms!"

Jimin smiled. "Neat."

"Did they have electrons?" Taehyung asked.

Doyeon nodded. "Made from gummy bears!"

Taehyung hummed playfully. "Well, that doesn't seem very accurate. If every atom had bears for electrons, you'd have about 40 quadrillion bears in your pinky alone!"

Doyeon giggled before frowning and scratching at her neck. "Eomma, do we have any bug spray?"

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you need bug spray?"

"I think something bit me." Doyeon said. "My face is all tingly."

Jimin's heart stopped as he noticed how puffy Doyeon's cheeks were becoming. "Doyeon, where did you get that brownie?"

"Somewhere over…" Her eyes widened as she flung the brownie away from herself, coughing. Panic filled her eyes.

"Hey, look at me." Jimin bent to her level. "Deep breaths. It's gonna be okay."

"What's going on?" Taehyung asked in concern.

"There must have been soy in that brownie." Jimin said, trying to tamp down his own swelling of panic. "She's having an allergic reaction." Doyeon began to gasp for breath.

Sohee and Namjoon ran over. "What's happening? Is Doyeon okay?" Sohee asked

Jimin shook his head slightly. "She ate something. It-she's allergic to soy. But she's careful, she always checks the ingredients, she-"

"Should I call an ambulance?" Namjoon asked.

"I-I don't know." Jimin said. "Probably not. I've got her EpiPen." He grabbed his bag and searched for the object. "Shh, baby, it'll be okay." He tried to soothe Doyeon. "Can you speak for me?"

"I-" Doyeon choked out. "I-it feels like ants are crawling in my mouth."

"That's good." Taehyung said. "If she can still talk, her throat can't have closed over completely." With a gentle touch, he palpated Doyeon's throat and under her jaw, causing Doyeon to wince a bit. "Can you try to calm her down a little more. I need to see how much of her wheezing is anxiety and how much is the allergy."

"Eomma, I'm scared!" Doyeon whimpered. "M-mr. Jung said there wasn't any soy in it. I just took on bite."

Jimin made a mental note to have several words with Hoseok before squeezing Doyeon's hand. "Shh, sweetie. I'm right here. Breathe with me. Slowly." He inhaled slowly through his nose and released a long exhale through his mouth. "Like that, okay?"

Doyeon nodded. "Like this?" She mimicked Jimin's slow breaths, her own rattling a little. As the two of them kept up the rhythm together, Doyeon's breathing eased and Jimin felt his own panic subsiding. "That feels better. I-I think I was just freaking out a little. Am I gonna be okay?"

"Don’t worry, Doyeon, I'm pretty familiar with food allergies." Taehyung said. "Can you open your mouth for me?" Doyeon opened her mouth and Taehyung peered inside. Afterwards, Taehyung touched Doyeon's forehead with the back of his hand. "Good news. Your airway is clear, and everything looks okay in there. Your mouth might feel a bit itchy for a little while and I see some hives on your neck but nothing serious." He turned to address Jimin in an even reassuring tone. "I don't think she'll need her EpiPen, but antihistamines are in order."

Jimin checked the pill bottle in his bag, but it was empty. "Shit, I usually have some on hand but I'm all out."

"Let's get her to the nurse's office." Taehyung said. "Minjoon will have plenty." He turned back to Doyeon with a smile. "You ready to go for a little ride?" Doyeon nodded miserable and Taehyung scooped her into his arms with surprising strength. Doyeon instinctively clung to his neck and, despite her discomfort, smiled a little.

"Sohee and I can take care of your booth, Jimin." Namjoon offered. "Go be with your daughter." Jimin smiled gratefully at Namjoon before numbly following Taehyung to the nurse's office.

Inside the infirmary, the nurse rushed forward as Taehyung laid Doyeon down on the cot. "Hi, Minjoon." Taehyung greeted the other male omega.

"What happened?" Minjoon asked.

"She's having an allergic reaction." Jimin said. "She ate something with soy."

"I don't think the reaction is too serious." Taehyung said. "But you should take a look for yourself."

Minjoon gave Doyeon a cursory examination, much like the one Taehyung gave her. "I'd say you're right on th money, Taehyung. I'd like to give her some extra strength antihistamines. It'll make her sleepy."

Jimin nodded and the nurse retrieved a bottle from his medicine cabinet, giving Doyeon two pills with a cup of water. Doyeon made a face but swallowed the pills. "Yuck. I hate swallowing pills."

"I know, honey." Jimin said sympathetically. "But they'll make you feel so much better."

"There's nothing to do now but wait for the antihistamines to take effect, I'm afraid." Minjoon said.

Doyeon laid back on the cot, scratching at her neck. Jimin leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're being so brave, sweetie."

"Really?" Doyeon asked.

Jimin smiled. "Of course! You know, most kids would be crying and whining but look at you! So strong, I haven't even heard you complain once. That sounds pretty brave to me."

"Thanks, Eomma." Doyeon closed her eyes, sinking back into the pillow and trying to relax. Jimin hovered nervously at Doyeon's side, wringing his hands, unsure of what to do. Doyeon cracked open one eye. "Eomma, you're making me nervous now. The nurse said I'm fine."

Minjoon stepped forward with a kindly expression. "Why don't you go get her some ginger ale from the cafeteria? I'm sure it would make Doyeon feel better."

Doyeon nodded slightly. "Ginger ale sounds nice."

Jimin's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "I couldn't possibly leave Doyeon by herself."

"The best way you can help your daughter is to relax a little yourself." Minjoon insisted. "And the ginger ale will be good for her. Besides, I'll be right here."

"Yeah, come on, Jimin." Taehyung said. "I'll go with you. Why don't we go to the teachers' lounge? They've got ginger ale in a vending machine in there."

"I bet the teachers' lounge here is super fancy." Doyeon blinked sleepily then yawned widely.

"You wouldn't believe." Minjoon said. "Definitely more upscale than the cafeteria soda."

"And everyone's busy with the bake sale." Taehyung pointed out. "So we'll have the place to ourselves. Shall we?"

Jimin took a deep breath to calm himself then nodded. "If it'll help Doyeon. But I'll leave my cell number with you just in case." He wrote down his number for the nurse, gave Doyeon a kiss on the forehead, and left with Taehyung at his side.

Chapter Text

Jimin breathed a long sigh of relief as he and Taehyung walked towards the teachers' lounge. "I can't thank you enough for stepping in to help Doyeon. I know everything's fine but every time she has the smallest reaction, I imagine the worst."

"I know how scary it can be." Taehyung said. "That an ordinary day could become life threatening in a moment." He moved in front of Jimin and took him by the shoulders, looking intently into his eyes. "But you're not going to let anything happen to your girl. And I'm not either. I'll keep an eye out when you can't. You hear me?" He pulled Jimin into a hug.

Jimin took a shaky breath to keep the tears from falling now that the adrenaline had passed. "It seems like you really knew what you were doing out there. I know what to do but I couldn't help but panic a little. You kept a clear head and made sure my little girl was going to be okay. That means the world to me."

"I'm just happy my strangely specific set of life experiences can come in handy in a crisis." Taehyung said, releasing Jimin so they could resume walking.

"So this coming in clutch during allergy attacks." Jimin said. "Is that part of the science teacher toolkit?"

"It is." Taehyung smiled. "But I got my PhD in biomedical engineering which doesn't hurt either. Truthfully it's mostly because I had an ex with a serious allergy, so I recognize the signs pretty easily by now."

"Your ex?" Jimin asked. "What were they allergic to?"

"She's allergic to peanuts." Taehyung said.

"God, peanut products are even more pervasive than soy." Jimin said. "You must've become quite the expert, being with your ex-girlfriend."

Taehyung stared at Jimin for a second as if searching him for an indication of something before lowering his voice to respond. "Especially since her biggest heat craving was always peanut butter." When Jimin didn't have any kind of outward reaction to Taehyung's confession that he'd been in a relationship with an omega, the tension left his shoulders. "It was pretty eye opening though. We met in school while I was right in the thick of my medical studies working on a portable heart monitor for my thesis."

"A portable heart monitor?" Jimin asked. "Sounds like something Tony Stark would invent."

"Right?" Taehyung nodded. "I wish I'd gotten to finish it, but I had to give up my career in the biomedical engineering field because…" He trailed off and sighed. "Well, it's a long story." They arrived at the teachers' lounge and Taehyung unlocked the door with a key on a carabiner at his hip. "That's more than enough reminiscing. Let's get this ginger ale and get back to your little girl." He paused, clearing his throat. "And, uh, I'm not really out at work since the PTA and faculty are pretty closed minded for the most part so I'd appreciate some discretion."

"Oh, I wouldn't tell anyone." Jimin assured him. "It's not my information to disclose."

Taehyung smiled gratefully. "It's nice to know there's at least one person I can be myself around."

"Of course." Jimin said. "I hope you always feel comfortable around me."

"Well mission accomplished." Taehyung said. "I'm glad I have a friend like you." He opened the door and led Jimin into the lounge past a state-of-the-art kitchenette to a series of fine leather couches and minimalist art.

Jimin let out a low whistle. "This place sure is swanky."

"Have a seat." Taehyung said. "I'll get some ginger ale for the little one and something nice and pretentious for us. Sparkling water or elderberry lavender lemonade spritzer?"

"Who could possibly turn down a nice spritzer?" Jimin laughed and sank down onto one of the impossibly comfortable couches as Taehyung went over to a shiny refrigerated vending machine and fed some bills into it. "So why did you leave the biomedical engineering field?"

Taehyung hesitated. "Sorry, this is going to be a little bit of a downer so bear with me…" He bit on his lip and frowned as the vending machine spit his cash back out. "I have a heart condition that runs in my family. It usually doesn't manifest until around middle age but mine came on young."

Jimin's eyes widened a bit. "Is that why you went into medicine?"

"Yes and no." Taehyung said. "I hadn't developed it yet when I went to school, but my mother had it and her mother before her, so I guess I was just preparing for the inevitable. I went to grad school with the goal of creating a wearable heart monitor that could stick on like a Band-Aid. It would make it easier and cheaper to monitor heart conditions like mine."

"That would be incredible." Jimin said in awe. "There are so many people that could help."

Taehyung resumed feeding bills into the vending machine but that time it got stuck partway in. "That's weird…" He mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Jimin asked.

"It's not taking my money." Taehyung said. "The validator must be jammed." He scoffed quietly. "Figures. They get a state-of-the-art vending machine that's so fancy you've gotta disassemble the validator every time it jams. They couldn't have gotten one with bidirectional acceptance so I could just open it up and clear it?"

"I'm sure we can just pick up some ginger ale at the cafeteria." Jimin said.

Taehyung shook his head. "Nah, I've got this. Nobody else at this school can be bothered to learn how but it's a pretty easy fix if you can use a simple screwdriver."

Jimin smiled. "It's official. You can do everything."

"What kind of engineer would I be if I couldn't clear a silly little jam in a vending machine?" Taehyung joked. "You just sit back and actually relax and I'll liberate this ginger ale in no time." He went over to a cabinet and retrieved a tool kit while Jimin settled back against the couch cushions.

"So what happened with the portable heart monitor?" Jimin asked. "Why didn't you finish it?"

Taehyung hesitated as he unscrewed the front panel of the machine where the validator was situated. "I was on the verge of a big breakthrough in my design when my heart condition hit hard. I needed multiple surgeries, and it left me basically bedridden for a couple years."

Jimin frowned. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through."

"You don't have to feel bad for me, Jimin." Taehyung said. "I worked hard to overcome what I went through and I'm proud of that."

"Of course." Jimin nodded. "It's not like our hardships define us, but Doyeon and I have had our share and I'm proud of what we've overcome too. I just wish it didn't have to be that hard. For either of us."

Taehyung hopped up to clean off a rubber belt that he'd removed from the machine. "Almost done! I need to let this air out for a minute, but we'll be up one functional vending machine before you know it." He turned to Jimin after laying out the rubber belt. "Anyway, I didn't do it on my own. I had a lot of help to get through my convalescence." He went over to the lounge's pantry and started rooting through it. "My ex was pretty instrumental in helping me get better. Especially in keeping me from going crazy when I was stuck in bed 24/7."

"I'm happy you had her to help you through the hard times." Jimin said. "It's always better to have someone in your corner." He bit his lip. "If I may ask…why did you two break up?"

"It, uh, it just didn't work out." Jimin was about to ask more but Taehyung slammed the pantry door. He held up a bag of dried apricots and a jar of gourmet mixed nuts. "Behold! Snacks!"

Jimin raised an eyebrow at Taehyung as he plopped down beside him with the snacks. "Okay, hint taken. I'll drop it."

"No, I…" Taehyung sighed. "I kind of want to talk about it. It's just. Not a cut and dry thing, you know? There were no big fights or obvious problems. Long story short, we were going down different paths. I changed a lot, but Leeseo stayed the same. We weren't compatible anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jimin said. "As awful as my ex leaving was, it's easier in some ways that it was dramatic. It's hard to hold a grudge and let go when your ex did everything right and it still didn't work."

"Exactly." Taehyung said. "Sometimes I wonder what if. But deep down I know we just would've kept drifting apart. But I've angsted about my ex woes plenty. What about you? It's your turn to dish. Let the cathartic ex bashing begin."

Jimin snorted. "Siwoo isn't worth the brainpower I'd waste thinking about him. He's an ass. He's always been an ass and I'm glad he walked out and proved it to Doyeon and me once and for all."

Taehyung raised his eyebrows. "Wow, Jimin, let it all out!"

"I don't think that alpha is capable of experiencing a molecule of genuine love and affection in his life." Jimin said. "Honestly I feel sorry for him. He's never gonna get anything better in his life than Doyeon and me."

"Damn straight." Taehyung grinned. "He can suck it."

Jimin let out a tiny laugh. "Anyway, he's long gone. And I hope he's changed for his own sake. I know I have and I'm better for it." He glanced at Taehyung. "I don't mean to drag you back down memory lane again but something you said stuck with me. You said your illness changed you and that broke up your relationship. Did it also have something to do with why you never returned to your research?"

"Yes and no." Taehyung shrugged. "Sometimes life changes things for you, like it or not. After I got better, I'd been out of the academic circles a while. I got this teaching gig as a temporary measure to keep the bills paid. But I really started to love it and after a while it felt like the window to work on the heart monitor had passed." He sighed. "Part of me still wishes I'd finished the project though."

"Why not try again?" Jimin asked.

"Developing an elaborate piece of medical technology is a full-time job." Taehyung said. "And so is teaching."

"If there's anything I've learned from being a mom it's that you have to fight to find time to do what you're passionate about." Jimin said. "Who's to say you can't do both? If I could choose any word to describe you, it'd be unstoppable."

Taehyung pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I do have my health back…if not now, when?"

Jimin smiled. "That's the spirit."

"Maybe I will pick my research back up." Taehyung said. "I'm kind of pumped just thinking about it." He frowned a bit. "I may have to scale back on my weekend rock climbing and skip my welding class on Thursdays, but I could carve out time."

"See?" Jimin nudged Taehyung. "Unstoppable."

Taehyung beamed, full of enthusiasm and energy. "Okay but this has been the Taehyung Spills His Guts hour. What about you? What's a passion of yours? What inspires you?"

"Well, I don't exactly have a half-finished groundbreaking invention in my back pocket to impress you with." Jimin giggled.

"Jimin, I'm already impressed by you." Taehyung said. "And I want to get to know you as you are. What you care about. Anything goes."

"In that case, I'm passionate about music." Jimin said. "Nowadays I mostly sing along to the radio in the car, but I've always loved music. I was definitely a choir and band kid in school."

Taehyung studied Jimin for a moment. "Saxophone?"

"Trumpet actually." Jimin said. "Were you in band?"

"I marched trombone for two years in high school marching band but I kinda let it slide to focus on my academics." Taehyung said.

Jimin laughed. "I see what you did there."

"I fully expect you to send me some of your favorite song recommendations now." Taehyung said.

"Well, I hope you're ready for an eclectic mix of Queen, Taylor Swift, and BigBang." Jimin said. "I'm an equal opportunist when it comes to music."

Taehyung smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. I'll make it my background playlist while I'm working on my heart monitor."

"I hope it'll come in handy." Jimin said. "Think of it as my way of repaying you for today. I so appreciate you helping Doyeon and fixing the vending machine and taking my mind off things. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"It's nothing, really." Taehyung waved him off. "I liked getting to spend time with you."

Jimin smiled. "I'm glad Doyeon has teacher like you."

"I'm glad I have a student like her." Taehyung countered. "And it's clear that you really care about Doyeon's education."

"We didn't move across the state for nothing." Jimin giggled. "I want her to get the most out of Hybe."

"I'm sure you both will." Taehyung said, glancing at his watch. "I think the belt's ready to go. Let me finish up." He reassembled the validator and screwed the front panel back in place before grinning at Jimin. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

Jimin fed a thousand won note into the vending machine and it worked flawlessly. Moments later, he had a frosty bottle of ginger ale and two sparkling lemonades for himself and Taehyung. "You're amazing, Taehyung. Thank you."

"You're so very welcome." Taehyung said. "Now let's get back. I'm sure Doyeon will be happy to see her mom a little more relaxed. I know I am." With a warm shared smile, they both headed back to the nurse's office to give Doyeon her ginger ale.

Chapter Text

"Hey, sweetheart, we're back!" Jimin smiled as he and Taehyung stepped back inside the nurse's office, holding the ginger ale out for Doyeon. "And we got this for you." He poured the drink into a paper cup for Doyeon, and she sat up to sip it.

"Thanks, Eomma." She said sleepily. "Thanks, Mr. Kim."

Taehyung smiled. "Glad you're feeling better, Doyeon. You had your mom and me worried." Doyeon reached out to hug Taehyung. Taehyung gently hugged Doyeon back before turning to Jimin. "I'm gonna get back to the bake sale and see if they need my help."

Jimin nodded. "I'll see you soon. And think about what I said about returning to your research." Taehyung gave Jimin's shoulder a brief squeeze before leaving. Jimin settled down beside Doyeon and held her hand as she rested.

After some time passed, Namjoon and Sohee walked in accompanied by the nurse. Sohee ran over to Doyeon's bedside. "Doyeon! Are you okay? Are you still sick? I wanted to come in sooner, but Appa said we had to give you breathing room!"

"Hi, Sohee." Doyeon gave her a small smile. "I'm still itchy and really, really sleepy but I'm doing okay."

"Yeah, she gave us a scare." Jimin ran his fingers through his daughter's hair. "But the antihistamines have already helped a bunch."

"Would you like me to give you two a ride home?" Namjoon asked. "I'm sure you're both firmly in the exhausted category."

Jimin smiled gratefully. "That would be great. And thanks for covering me at the bake sale."

"Not a problem." Namjoon assured him.

Jimin turned to check in with the nurse. "Is it okay if I take Doyeon home now?"

The nurse nodded. "Absolutely. The best thing for her now is to sleep it off."

Namjoon smiled at Doyeon. "You hear that, little one? Let's get you home." Jimin picked up a groggy Doyeon, her head resting on his shoulder, and they all left the office together.

As they were walking through the bake sale toward the front entrance, Doyeon pointed out a table where Hoseok was selling brownies. "That's where I got the bad soy brownie from."

Rage instantly filled Jimin as his eyes narrowed on Hoseok. "Oh, I'd love to give him a piece of my mind."

"I'll beat him up for you, Doyeon's eomma." Sohee said with a tiny growl.

Namjoon put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "There will be no beating anyone up today, Sohee." He glanced at Jimin. "But, uh, if Jimin were to have a friendly chat with Hoseok, I'm sure we'd all understand."

"And cheer for you from the sidelines." Sohee beamed.

"I mean, if anyone endangered my Sohee like that…" Namjoon trailed off, nodding gravely at jimin. "Do what you have to do."

Jimin gently transferred Doyeon to Namjoon's arms so he could walk over to Hoseok's table. "Hello, Jimin!" The alpha greeted him with a cheerful smile. "How can I help you?"

"If you have just a moment, I have a few simple questions." Jimin said politely. "Are your brownies gluten free?"

"Of course!" Hoseok nodded. "Gluten is so gauche. And off limits in my current snack profile. Not for this mongoose. You know how it is. Besides, Seokjin's son, Doyun, is gluten intolerant!"

Jimin nodded. "So I take it you read the allergen and dietary restrictions guidelines I sent out with the rest of the bake sale instructions?"

Hoseok's smile faltered. "Um, yes? I believe I…did that…"

"One more question." Jimin rested his hands on the table, leaning over slightly. "Did you use soy flour in those homemade brownies by any chance?"

"No, I read online that all the real bakers are using coconut flour for brownies these days." Hoseok said.

A parent at an adjacent booth overheard and scoffed. "Are you trying to say that you are a real baker? As if. I saw you buying those brownies from the whole food store yesterday! Everyone knows you can't bake to save your life."

Hoseok let out an offended noise. "That is a preposterous lie! In no way did I attempt a delicious coconut flour concoction that turned into a dry powdery mess!"

"Yeah, well you should've checked if your store-bought alternative contained soy flour like a lot of gluten free baked goods do." Jimin snapped.

"What is your problem, Jimin?" Hoseok asked. "I baked these brownies fair and square! I am an accomplished baker of delectable niche treats!"

Jimin took a deep breath. "Listen, Hoseok, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you but you've gotta be careful when allergies are inv-"

"Park Jimin, I am frankly insulted that you would imply I was careless." Hoseok said. "And I simply don't have time to discuss it anymore. My pride as a budding pastry chef and a proud level one mongoose is on the line!" With a huff, he turned his back on Jimin and repositioned the sign reading 'Delectable Homemade Brownies by Hoseok' to a more prominent spot on his table.

Jimin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Hoseok, I am trying to think of this as a teachable moment but you're testing my patience."

Instead of responding, Hoseok grinned widely and addressed an oncoming cluster of customers. "Yes, can I help you lovely folks with some homemade brownies? Baked with genuine coconut flour!"

That was the moment Jimin snapped. He slapped Hoseok's sign face down on the table and leaned in close, the startled would-be customers scattering. "What are you doing, Jimin?" Hoseok asked.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush." Jimin said. "I think your precious gourmet brownies came from a bakery, and I know they had soy in them. And you know what else I know? My daughter is severely allergic to soy. And guess where it says that? On the dietary restrictions guidelines right above where it says that Doyun is gluten intolerant! So, Hoseok, you could have put my daughter in the hospital!" Letting all of that out, some of Jimin's anger dissipated and he straightened, exhaling deeply. "Listen, I don’t' really want to make an enemy of you, Hoseok. You're not usually the worst. But your careless oversight could've cost my daughter her life and it's already caused her a lot of pain and fear. You may not have intended to hurt anyone but I'm not willing to just overlook that."

"Damn, you tell him!" A nearby parent cheered Jimin on.

Hoseok began blubbering dramatically. "Okay, okay, you got me! I bought them from the store! My shame is considerable!" Jimin raised an eyebrow expectantly. "And I didn't read the ingredients before I threw out the packaging. I just assumed that real bakers would use coconut flour. To be honest, I didn't know you could even use soy flour in brownies!" HE let out another shuddering overdramatic sob. "I-I'm s-s-s-so s-s-sorry!"

Jimin was now a little freaked out, not having expected hoseok to react quite like that. "Just do better." Jimin said. "Crying like that isn't helping anything. I don't want you humiliated, I just want to know my little girl will be safe at these functions." After a beat, he added on, "Although the humiliation certainly doesn't hurt."

"I-I…" Hoseok snorted loudly as he tried to compose himself. "What can I do to make it up to you, Jimin? And Doyeon, of course. I'm so ashamed that I put her through this. I feel like the old lady after she abandons the fox in The Fox and the Hound." His eyes widened. "Do you want a jet? I can get you a jet! What am I talking about, I can't get you a jet. But a nice soy free edible arrangement or customized crystal soul cleanse basket, I can do that!"

"What is a crystal soul cleanse basket?" Jimin asked.

Hoseok smiled. "It really helps you connect to your innermost self. It's done wonders for my complexion and my anxiety." He looked at Jimin with a sincere expression. "Jimin, I feel like you've taught me a lot in the last three minutes about awareness and mindfulness and I just want to clear my conscience."

"If you really want to make it up to me and Doyeon, you can make sure this never happens again." Jimin said. "We all want the same thing. Our kids to be happy and healthy. Read the guidelines thoroughly next time we have a food related event. And for god's sake, don't be too proud to check the ingredients on your storebought brownies. NO one cares if you didn't bake them yourself."

"Speak for yourself!" Another parent exclaimed. "I care! Especially after I spent five hours on my cookies!"

"Done." Hoseok nodded. "I'll do it." He put a hand to his chest. "You took time out of your day to face me on behalf of your daughter. But more importantly, you made me face my own flaws." He suddenly put both hands on Jimin's shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. "Only a true friend isn't afraid to help their friends grow. You're a good egg, Park Jimin."

Jimin blinked. "Uh…you're a…good egg too, Hoseok. There's some hope for you yet, buddy." Hoseok beamed as he let Jimin go and Jimin gave him an awkward thumbs up before returning to Namjoon and the girls. "Nobody messes with my daughter." Jimin said.

Doyeon smiled brightly. "Who needs a knight in shining armor when I have my mom?"

"I feel deeply sorry for anyone foolish enough to cross you or Doyeon." Namjoon said as they headed out to the alpha's car.

***

Namjoon and Sohee followed them up to their apartment where Jimin immediately laid a drowsy Doyeon in her bed. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" Jimin asked softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Better kinda." Doyeon mumbled. "But still pretty bad."

"Still itchy?" Jimin frowned. Doyeon nodded, her tiny upset expression making Jimin's heart clench. "Just try to rest." He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead before walking over to where Namjoon and Sohee were waiting in the doorway.

"Is she gonna be better in time for the field trip to the science museum this week?" Sohee asked in concern. "Doyeon's been so excited about it. It's all she can talk about."

Jimin gave her a tiny smile. "Don’t worry, Sohee. She'll be fine. I know it's scary but Doyeon's tough. And she's had worse allergic reactions than this."

"Really?" Sohee asked.

"Really." Jimin nodded. "It'll probably have died down by morning, but the antihistamines will make her more comfortable until then."

Sohee frowned. "Can I stay with her until she falls asleep? I promise I'll be quiet and won't talk too much or anything."

Overhearing, Doyeon sat up in bed, her eyes big and pleading. "Please, Eomma? Can she stay?"

Namjoon quietly cleared his throat. "I'd be alright staying for a while if it's okay with you."

Jimin smiled. "We would both love the company."

"Thank you, Doyeon's eomma!" Sohee exclaimed.

"Don't you mean Mr. Park?" Namjoon corrected her.

Jimin giggled. "You're welcome, Sohee."

Sohee skipped over to Doyeon's bedside and curled up in a chair beside her, starting an excited whispered conversation. "As soon as you're better, I have to show you a cool tree I saw in the park. I bet we could climb so high and pretend we're, like, space pirates!"

"Space pirates sounds so cool!" Doyeon gushed. Jimin smiled fondly at the girls before leading Namjoon to the living room.

Namjoon stood there awkwardly for a moment as if not knowing what to do. The silence stretched out a few seconds too long. "We could-"

"Do you want to-"

The two of them laughed as they both spoke at the same time. "What are two single parents to do with unexpected leisure time?" Namjoon asked.

Jimin shrugged. "We could always crack open a bottle of wine and have a go at one of Doyeon's Lego sets."

"Oh god those things are difficult enough without wine in the picture." Namjoon laughed.

"Maybe we save that undertaking for when my nine-year-old Lego expert is feeling better." Jimin agreed.

"We could play cards perhaps?" Namjoon suggested. "I used to have a regular poker night with some friends. Sometimes gin rummy."

Jimin nodded. "Gin rummy it is. Prepare to have your ass handed to you." He retrieved a battered old deck of cards and the two of them took a seat at the kitchen table. Namjoon shuffled expertly before dealing out the cards. "You are surprisingly good at that. Were you the card shark of your weekly poker night?"

Namjoon shook his head. "I lost as much as I won. My poker face was pretty decent, but gin rummy is where I truly shine. So don't get too cocky, Park Jimin." He drew from the pile and discarded a card from his hand, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Of course, we haven't played for a while. Who has the time for that anymore?"

"Are you saying you've gotten rusty?" Jimin asked. "Interesting."

"You wish." Namjoon said. "I've still got moves."

Jimin raised his eyebrows. "We'll see about that." he then sighed. "But I get what you're saying. Single parenting has a way of stealing all your free time. Before Doyeon was born, I used to go dancing until dawn."

"You a dancing queen?" Namjoon mused. "I don't know if I can picture you out at the discotheque tearing up the dance floor." He glanced up from his cards with a playful glint in his eyes. "That is what the kids call it these days, isn't it? The Discotheque?"

"I think they prefer to call it the club." Jimin laughed. "Man, I must've gotten so boring and responsible if you're surprised that I used to party. Me and my friends would hit the club and dance til we literally dropped." He shuffled a new card into his hand, not really looking at the cards as he reminisced. "Those were some good times."

Namjoon hummed. "I wonder what it would've been like if we'd met each other way back then when we were barely done being kids ourselves."

"Like, are we talking multiverse style here?" Jimin asked.

"Sure." Namjoon said. "A different universe, different versions of us. I've seen Into the Spider-Verse with Sohee. I can keep up."

Jimin laughed and considered it for a moment. "I think we would have been good friends. I could've joined in your weekly gin rummy game."

"You would have lost a lot of games of cards." Namjoon informed him.

"Please, I haven't lost once to you yet." Jimin pointed out. "Don't count your chickens, mister."

Namjoon smiled. "I like to imagine us being old friends. We'd have inside jokes about, I don't know, shoe shiners."

Jimin let out a surprised burst of laughter. "You try to come up with a hypothetical inside joke and the first thing you think of is shoe shiners?"

"Hey, don’t tease me!" Namjoon pouted. "I don't have that many inside jokes!"

"Well now we've got this one." Jimin said. "And of all things, it's shoe shiners in an alternate universe. Lucky us." He grinned. "It sounds like alternate universe Jimin and Namjoon would have had it pretty good. You'll forgive me if I stick to this universe, of course, because I wouldn’t trade being Doyeon's mom for anything. I may not go dancing anymore but there's so much more goodness in my life than there was before. I hardly even miss clubbing with my friends."

"I'm with you there." Namjoon murmured. "I still remember the day Sohee was born. It was the happiest day of my life. She was so tiny and now she's grown so much. And her personality's gotten even bigger. She's always changing too. It feels like just yesterday she was playing Princess and Cooler Princess with her Barbies and now all she can talk about is soccer. I had to throw out the whole Christmas list and start from scratch!"

Jimin laughed as he discarded another card, picturing Namjoon scrambling for gifts at the last minute. "I know what you mean. Doyeon used to make licorice stick ramen."

"Isn't that just a pile of licorice?" Namjoon asked.

"Not if you add ramen seasoning and an egg to it it's not." Jimin said.

For a second Namjoon looked horrified but then he burst into shocked laughter. "Children will eat anything! And I thought I was bad when Sohee kept trying to make salads out of the leaves in the backyard!"

"One thing I was she hadn't grown out of is her Boogie Dance phase." Jimin sighed and Namjoon tilted his head curiously. "That's what she called it. She was five after all. The rules of the Boogie Dance are simple. You drop everything and dance together no matter where you are--the mall, kindergarten, the middle of the sidewalk, anywhere."

Namjoon abruptly set down his hand of cards, a bright smile on his face. "I'm no Doyeon but would you indulge me in a Boogie Dance as it were?"

"Only if you're willing to be as goofy as five-year-old Doyeon." Jimin said.

"You forget, I too parented a five-year-old once." Namjoon pointed out. "I think I can rustle up my kindergarten era dance moves." HE demonstrated, twisting his hips back and forth, more relaxed than Jimin had ever seen him.

"You are already exceeding my expectations." Jimin pushed out his chair and stood up. "I can't believe I'm about to be outshone in my own Boogie Dancing tradition."

Namjoon smiled. "There's enough Boogie Dance for both of us, Jimin." He took Jimin's hand and led him in a spin. The two of them shimmied and slid across the laminated kitchen floor, laughing as they went. "I'm having a really good time with you tonight." Namjoon said I haven't been able to relax with someone like this since before..." He trailed off, his face falling as his dancing stopped. "Well, before Soojin died. It's a complicated feeling."

Jimin frowned. "Did I overstep?"

"No, no." Namjoon shook his head. "I wanted to spend time with you. Sohee could really use a friend like Doyeon, and I could really use someone like you in my life. Someone genuine and caring."

"That's good." Jimin said. "Because now that we're friends, you're not getting rid of me any time soon."

Namjoon breathed out a tiny laugh. "Deal." He took a deep breath. "I just hope you can be patient with me as I work through some things. Grief is a long battle."

"I understand." Jimin said. "I just want to make sure I’m helping not hindering."

"You most definitely have already helped, Park Jimin." Namjoon assured him. "More than I can say." He smiled softly before looking away just as Doyeon's bedroom door creaked open and a sleepy looking Sohee shuffled in, taking care to close the door quietly behind her. "Everything alright, darling?" Namjoon asked.

Sohee nodded. "Doyeon fell asleep-" She cut off with an enormous yawn.

"Looks like you're almost there yourself." Jimin said.

"I think it's time to get my own little moppet to bed." Namjoon mused. "Come on, Sohee." He glanced at Jimin. "I'm sorry we couldn't finish our game. Next time perhaps?"

"Sure." Jimin agreed. "Next time."

Namjoon steered Sohee to the front door with Jimin following them. "You're sure you'll be alright looking after Doyeon tonight?" Namjoon asked as he and Sohee slipped on their shoes.

"Don't worry, the worst is over now." Jimin said. "We'll be just fine."

"That's good to hear." Namjoon said with relief.

Jimin opened the door for them but before they left, Sohee surprised him with a big hug. "Thanks for letting me stay with Doyeon. I hope she feels better real soon."

Jimin squeezed Sohee back. "Thank you, Sohee. I'll let her know you said that."

Sohee let go and moved out into the hall. Namjoon hesitated on the threshold, looking from Jimin to the hall and back. Finally, he stepped forward and followed Sohee's example, awkwardly embracing Jimin. "Have a good night. I'll talk to you in the morning to check in."

"I look forward to it.' Jimin said gratefully before closing the door behind them. He grabbed a book and headed into Doyeon's bedroom and curled up in the chair Sohee had been occupying, settling in for the long night.

Chapter Text

To celebrate Doyeon's recovery, Jimin and Namjoon took the girls on a weekend hike. "I'm so glad we were able to get the girls outside on such a beautiful day." Namjoon said.

"It's an even bigger shock that we were able to get you out of the office." Jimin mused. "I'm astonished you're not working through the weekend." His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text in the PTA group chat.

The groan he let out must have let Namjoon know who exactly the message was from as his lips quirked. "Now who's working on the weekend?"

Seokjin
Congrats on the bake sale, Jimin! 🎉

Jinhwa
OMG yes it was a HUGE success!

And you looked SUPER cute!

Seokjin
Not to mention your takedown of
Hoseok… That was rough but SO
badass

Hoseok
Hey, I'm still in this chat, you kno!

But it was actually really cool that you
stood up for your daughter like that

I've been meditating on my
shortcomings, so you like, really helped
with my personal growth voyage

also I'm really, really, really sorry

It's okay, Hoseok, seriously. you don't
have to text me apologies and updates
on your personal growth voyage every
few hours

Hoseok
Well I'll just say that you did a really
awesome job all around, and you
should meditate on your awesomeness!

Your bake sale's the talk of all the Hybe
rents!

that's short for parents ;)

Hayoon
Yes. I suppose you didn't ruin it.

Sorry to disappoint, Hayoon.

Hoseok
Oooooooooo!!!

Seokjin
LOL

Jinhwa
🔥🔥🔥

Hayoon
I'm sure I don't know what you mean.

Now I'm sure you're all enjoying your
3-day weekend

but I'll remind everyone that we have
the fourth-grade field trip to the
science museum coming up this week.

We still need at least three more
parents to volunteer as chaperone.

Jinhwa and Hoseok, can I expect you to
volunteer as usual?

Hoseok
Of course!

Jinhwa
You can always count on us, H!

I volunteer to chaperone.

Seokjin
O fun!

Hayoon
Are you sure? It might take time out of
your 'busy' schedule.

I think I'll be able to squeeze it in.

Hayoon
As long as you're sure…

I meant what I said, thanks!

"Everything alright?" Namjoon asked as Jimin stuffed his phone back in his pocket frustratedly.

"Yeah, just figuring out some upcoming field trip details." Jimin shook his head. "Let's forget about that and have some fun!"

Sohee and Doyeon ran around, jumping on rocks and playing in a small creek winding through the shallow ravine. "I bet I can catch more frogs than you."

"No way! I'm, like, the best frog catcher! I'll get 20 frogs-no, 40 frogs!"

Jimin called out to the girls, "Be gentle and release any frogs you catch!"

Doyeon nodded. "We will, Eomma!" Jimin shook his head fondly as he watched them scamper off.

"I love seeing Sohee so happy." Namjoon said. "There was a long time after Soojin's death when Sohee would go entire days without smiling."

Jimin frowned. "Losing a parent at such a young age has got to be so difficult."

"Yeah, Sohee changed after that." Namjoon ran a hand through his hair. "She and her mom were so close and there was so much they were looking forward to doing together. Soojin grew up in America. She always dreamed of bringing Sohee with her to visit but she never got the chance."

"I'm so sorry, Namjoon." Jimin said softly. "But you know, you could always take Sohee there yourself to honor Soojin's wishes."

Namjoon let out a troubled sigh, scuffing his shoe in the dirt. "I know that logically. And I've been trying to live up to Soojin's, helping Sohee feel connected to that half of her existence…but it's hard when I'm not able to speak from experience."

"Well, you're trying your best." Jimin assured him. "You're reminding Sohee to be proud of who she is and where all she comes from. That's important."

"I hope you're right." Namjoon said. "I just wish I were up to the task."

"You are." Jimin said. "You just have to believe in yourself."

Namjoon gave him a tiny smile. "Thanks, Jimin. I can always use a few words of encouragement to offset my doubts. It's just…especially these days, I feel like I'm not qualified to protect her. I mean, if I were to take her to America, we all know how they treat foreigners, particularly the ones who don't look like them. How do I even begin to prepare her for that?"

Jimin shrugged. "I wish I had the answers for you. Are any of us really ready for all the things in this world that could hurt our kids?"

"I suppose you're right." Namjoon said.

"But you're raising her with love." Jimin continued. "And the act that you're really trying to be as aware as possible and connect with her about it is a damn good sign that you're doing better than you think."

Just then, Sohee and Doyeon came running back up to them, both gesturing wildly and talking a mile a minute. "-all tangled up and-"

"-hopping around-he's so scared!"

"Girls, slow down!" Jimin looked between them with wide eyes. "I don't understand a word you're saying!"

"Eomma, it's a bird-"

"And he's hurt!"

"We've gotta help him!"

"Come on!" The girls darted off down the ravine and Jimin and Namjoon followed them as quickly as they could.

Arriving at the edge of the creek, Jimin spotted a young sparrowhawk struggling to hop with a set of plastic six pack rings tangled around its legs. "Eomma, we've gotta do something!" Doyeon exclaimed. "He can't fly!"

"Okay, just give me one second." Jimin said calmly before slowly approaching the bird. The sparrowhawk screeched at Jimin, visibly angry and afraid. He shrugged his sweater off his shoulders and flung it over the bird before it had a chance to react. In one deft movement, Namjoon scooped up the covered sparrowhawk, pinning its wings gently but firmly to its sides. "It's okay, buddy, you're gonna be okay." Jimin said soothingly.

Doyeon grabbed Sohee's hand, her face twisted with worry and sympathy for the distressed sparrowhawk. Working together, Jimin and Namjoon managed to ease the stiff plastic off its skinny legs. The second its feet were free, Namjoon threw off the sweater and the bird immediately shot off into the air, screeching exuberantly with its newfound freedom. It looped once around the group before disappearing into the treetops while Doyeon and Sohee whooped victoriously. "You did it! You saved him!"

"He gets to go back to his bird family now!" Jimin and Namjoon couldn't help but cheer along, gladly receiving thankful hugs from the girls.

They were about to climb back out of the ravine when Doyeon stooped down and picked up a pristine feather. "Look, Eomma! It must've fallen out when you guys were helping him!"

"I guess he was so grateful that he left us a little present." Jimin said. "Why don't we keep it and put it on the board? The day Doyeon helped save a feather boy." He eyed the feather in Doyeon's hand. "And then we're all gonna wash our hands thoroughly when we get home." Doyeon grinned and nodded enthusiastically as she pocketed the feather. She then joined Sohee, the two girls scrambling out of the ravine faster than Jimin and Namjoon could have ever hoped to.

Once back on the trail, they headed back to the car, the girls racing ahead of them. Jimin and Namjoon laughed at their enthusiasm. "I could get used to this." Namjoon said. "Going out together with the girls, seeing them so happy, getting to hang out with you…"

Jimin smiled at Namjoon. "We make a good team. We're like GD and Taeyang."

"Or Rainbow Dash and Applejack." Namjoon said.

"Did you just name My Little Pony characters at me?" Jimin asked in shock.

Namjoon smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Having a nine-year-old daughter has skewed my perspective slightly."

Jimin laughed. "I absolutely get that. But in that case, I really think we'd be more like Finn and Jake from Adventure Time."

"You know, you're right." Namjoon nodded. "That's probably more accurate." Together they left the hiking trail behind and Jimin felt a warmth and a contentment in his heart that he hadn't felt in a long time. As if, at last, everything might work out.

***

Doyeon talked animatedly about her adventure with Sohee as she and Jimin made their way up to their apartment after being dropped off by Namjoon. "-and then she said, 'I bet you can't climb up as fast as me' and I said, 'nuh-uh' and I went up really fast and almost didn't make it but then I did and-"

"That sounds like fun." Jimin mused. "Did you get down alright?"

"Uh, yeah!" Doyeon said as if it were obvious. "I'm basically a pro tree climber now, Eomma."

Jimin slowed down when he saw two finely dressed figures--an alpha and an omega--in front of their door. Cautious, he put a hand on Doyeon's shoulder to stop her. "I'm sorry, can I help y-" Jimin cut off as the alpha turned around. He had changed, looking older than Jimin had last seen him, but Jimin would recognize that condescending smile anywhere. "Siwoo."

"Hey." Siwoo greeted them. "Long time no see."

"Appa?" Doyeon asked in surprise and confusion.

Siwoo beamed down at her. "Hey, sweetie! Wow, how'd you get so big? Come here!" He spread his arms out. After a moment's hesitation, Doyeon ran into her father's arms, and he swept her up in a big hug.

Jimin gritted his teeth, trying not to let his actual feelings show in front of Doyeon. "This is a…lovely surprise." He had to suppress a sudden twitch near his eye. "Just so great to see you. Really great."

"That's awesome to hear!" Siwoo said. "I would've called first but, you know, didn't have your number."

"But somehow you managed to find our address." Jimin pointed out.

"I was just catching up with some old friends lately and they mentioned that you'd moved to Seoul." Siwoo said. "Seemed like a sign, us being in the same city again. I figured it was high time we reconnected." Jimin opened his mouth to respond but Siwoo was already moving on. "And I brought a special something for my best girl!" He set Doyeon down and handed her a sleek shopping bag.

"For me?" Doyeon asked excitedly. She reached into the bag and pulled out a dress made of royal blue lace. "Oh my gosh, it's so pretty! Eomma look!"

Jimin nodded. "That's really nice, kiddo."

"Yes!" Siwoo let out a little cheer. "I'm so stoked that you like it. Jungkook helped me pick it out." He gestured at the omega waiting awkwardly behind him.

At the sound of his name, Jungkook immediately lit up. "Oh my god, hi!"

Jimin gave him an awkward smile. "Hi, it's nice to-"

Jungkook rushed forward to wrap Jimin in a crushing hug. "I'm so excited to finally meet you! You have such a warm aura. I can already tell we're going to be such good friends."

"How…sweet…" Jimin patted Jungkook's back until the other omega released him. "I'm sure you also have a very nice…aura."

"That is so sweet of you to say!" Jungkook stepped back and turned to Doyeon, crouching down to her level. "Hi! My name is Jungkook! I'm your appa's boyfriend! He talks about you, like, all the time but he didn't mention how adorable you are!"

Doyeon furrowed her eyebrows a bit. "Um, thanks?"

As Jungkook continued to gush over a perplexed Doyeon, Jimin noticed Siwoo watching him with an odd expression. "What?" Jimin asked.

Siwoo shook his head. "Nothing just…you look good."

Jimin scoffed out a laugh, lowering his voice so Doyeon wouldn't hear. "Oh, fuck you. I don’t' know where you get off coming here with your douchebag suit and your hot new boyfriend, but it is not cute."

"God, Jimin, could you just pump the brakes for a second and let me explain?" Siwoo asked. "Look, I know this is a shock and I don't expect everything to magically go back to normal right away. All I want is a chance. Let me take you two out for a nice dinner and I'll explain everything. I've already got a reservation for us at Rare." Jimin stared at him. "It's just this steakhouse over by the Han River. I hear it's pretty legit."

Jungkook stood up again, moving to wrap his arms around Siwoo's. "It's amazing! The owner won the third season of Elite Cuisine and it's where Song Yejun had his wedding!"

"That sounds real fancy." Doyeon said. "Is it fancy?"

Siwoo smiled. "Why do you think I got you that dress? Only the best for my little princess."

Doyeon turned to Jimin with an excited expression. "Can we go, Eomma? Please? I've never been to a fancy restaurant before!"

Jimin looked from Siwoo to Jungkook, taking in their designer clothes, suddenly very aware of his muddy shoes and wind tangled hair. "Just give us a minute to go freshen up?"

"No problem." Siwoo nodded. "We're parked out front. You can meet us there whenever you're ready." He led Jungkook back to the elevator as Jimin unlocked the door to his apartment, struggling to keep the keys from jangling in his shaking hands.

Chapter Text

Jimin rooted through his closet with one hand while holding his phone against his ear with the other. Finally he heard a click and Haru's voice came over the line. "Hey, Jimin, what's up? How was the hike?"

"Haru, I would love to tell you about the hike but right now my ex is downstairs with his new boyfriend waiting to take us to some insanely fancy steakhouse and-" Jimin stopped short as Doyeon scampered into the room wearing her new dress.

"Eomma, look!" She gave a twirl while squealing with delight. "I feel like a princess!"

Jimin forced a smile, holding his phone to his shoulder. "You certainly look the part, Your Highness. Eomma's gotta figure out what to wear real quick. Can you go wait for me in the living room?"

Doyeon nodded. "I bet you're going to look cute too!" Doyeon ran off, shutting the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Jimin brought his phone to his ear again and caught Haru mid rant. "…crack a two by four across his smug face, see how he likes being ambushed at his own damn house! That tacky two-bit piece of-"

"Holy shit, Haru!" Jimin exclaimed.

"Look, this is obviously some kinda bullshit power move." Haru said. "He's trying to make you feel small with his fancy food and new boyfriend who I assume is super young and hot?"

Jimin sighed. "He is both of those things."

"Well you can't let him get away with it. You gotta walk into that restaurant like you own it and it's not even the nicest restaurant you own."

"That's just the problem." Jimin said. "Siwoo brought Haru this adorable blue dress so I'm gonna be the only one who isn't dressed up. I don't suppose you have something nice I can borrow? Something that suggests fancy restaurant ownership?"

"Give me two minutes." Haru ended the call abruptly.

One and a half minutes later, Jimin's phone buzzed with a text from Haru.

*image attached*

Got this for a wedding last year but
I don't have the curves for it. I will
gladly sacrifice it on the altar of one-
upping your stupid ex.

Jimin wasted no time grabbing Doyeon from the living room and hurrying down to Haru's apartment to change into the sparkly blue gown. Then they exited the apartment building and walked over to where Siwoo and Jungkook were waiting by the car. "Okay, we're ready to go." Jimin smiled.

"Appa, look!" Doyeon said excitedly. "Eomma and I match!" Jimin tried to suppress a smirk as Siwoo glanced up and did a double take.

"Oh my god, is that a Mia Kim gown?" Jungkook asked. "I love her!"

"That's what it says on the tag." Jimin forced out a polite chuckle. "Anyway, we going to dinner or what?"

Siwoo nodded. "Uh…yeah."

"Let's go!" Doyeon began bouncing. "I'm starving!"

"Alright, we're going." Jimin gave a real giggle.

***

While Jungkook and Siwoo spoke to the valet out front, Jimin and Doyeon stepped into the restaurant. Jimin was immediately dazzled by the massive crystal chandelier that poured from the ceiling like a waterfall, its light glittering down on the richly dressed diners below. Doyeon looked around with a mixture of awe and nervousness as a young alpha in a crisp white shirt approached them. He smiled obsequiously, looking back and forth between Jimin and Doyeon. "Good evening and welcome to Rare. And if I may say so, you're both looking positively lovely tonight."

Jimin smiled. "You may, thank you. Doyeon?" He gently nudged her.

"Th-thanks." Doyeon said shyly.

"I'm afraid we're rather booked at the moment." The host said. "But if you'd like a table for two, I may be able to place you-"

The door opened behind them and Jimin cringed as Siwoo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry for the holdup, had to make sure that so called valet knew how to work the on-board computer." He nodded to the host. "Hey, you, table for four, under Myung Siwoo."

The host checked his list then plastered on a fake smile. "Of course, right this way." He seated them at a table near the back.

Soon a waiter came by and handed each of them a thin wooden plank with the menu laser etched into its blonde surface. "I'll give you all a moment to look at the menus. Unless you have any questions for me?"

"Nah, we're good." Siwoo said. "We'll take a bottle of the Screaming Eagle Cab, 2007 if you've got it. And let's do four of the Miyazaki wagyu steaks. 200 grams for the grownups, 100 for the kid."

Jungkook smiled. "I love wagyu. Great choice, baby."

"Yes, excellent selections, sir." The server said.

"Uh, hold on a second." Jimin cut in. "Doyeon and I can order for ourselves."

Siwoo held his hands up. "Whoa, okay. I didn't think it'd be a big deal."

Jimin narrowed his eyes. "Right. Because making decisions for us without bothering to ask our opinion isn't weird at all." Siwoo scoffed and the server bowed awkwardly before retreating from the table.

A few minutes later, the server returned with the win, took Doyeon and Jimin's orders, then hurried away again. "So I bet there's a lot you guys wanna know." Siwoo said.

"Plenty." Jimin nodded. "How about we start with where the hell you've been for the past four years?"

"Okay, that is a totally fair question." Siwoo said. "After the divorce, I moved in with a buddy here in Seoul. We founded a company based around personalized luxury snack subscriptions. It's kinda taken off in the past couple years."

"He's being modest." Jungkook chimed in. "Nomme has been in the top five snack-based apps for, like, a month straight."

"So your company makes snacks?" Doyeon asked. "What kind?"

"All kinds!" Siwoo smiled. "But it's more than that. We're totally disrupting the snack industry. Our app creates your ideal snack profile based on your personal info. Then our curators send you bespoke snack packs based on your unique dietary needs."

Jimin raised his eyebrows. "That sounds like some rich person nonsense. People seriously pay you tell them what kind of snacks to buy? That's so stupid it hurts my brain."

"Hey, I didn't create the market." Siwoo defended himself. "I'm just giving people what they want. Also we aren't officially announcing it until next weekend, but Nomme is about to go public."

"Exciting." Jimin said flatly before taking a large gulp of his wine.

Jungkook clapped. "I'm so proud of you, babe! I can't wait to post about it!"

Siwoo chuckled. "Jungkook here is a pretty big deal on instagram. His health and wellness page made him number one on their Top 30 Influencers Under 30 this year."

"And how far under 30 are we talking?" Jimin asked curiously.

"Oh, I just turned 22 last September." Jungkook said.

Jimin nearly spit out his wine and tried to pass it off as an awkward sneeze. "So how long have you been dating?"

"Well if we started dating back in November, that means…" Jungkook gasped. "Oh my god, babe, it's almost our quarterversary!"

"Already?" Siwoo smiled. "Guess time flies when you're in love." They shared a kiss then rubbed noses as Jungkook giggled.

Jimin tried not to gag. "Well you two seem very happy together. I'm so glad to hear you're living the awesome life you always wanted."

Doyeon nodded. "Running a company sounds so cool!"

"It is cool." Siwoo said. "But all the success is just putting everything in perspective, you know? Made me rethink what's really important in life. Like family."

The anger that had been simmering inside Jimin all evening suddenly flashed to a boil and all the years of bitter resentment came bubbling to the surface. "You don't get to barge back in here after four years of no contact and expect us to be a family again."

"Who's barging?" Siwoo asked. "Nobody's trying to barge. I just wanted to see my little girl, maybe help out a little if I can. I mean, what's the point of being in the one percent if you can't be charitable?"

"You had your chance to 'help'." Jimin deadpanned. "Where were you when Doyeon's allergies sent her to the ER? Where were you when we got evicted from our old apartment? You blew it, Siwoo. You can't undo that with fancy dresses and 135,000 won steaks."

Before Siwoo had a chance to respond, the server arrived with their food. A tense silence fell over the table. Jimin glanced over at Doyeon, feeling a pang of guilt when he saw her picking glumly at her pasta. "Hey, kiddo…" Jimin gently nudged her. "Why don't you tell your dad about how school is going?"

The tension in the air diminished just a little. Siwoo glared at Jimin for a moment longer then looked over at Doyeon with a smile. "You're at Hybe now, right? That's a good school."

"It's okay." Doyeon mumbled.

Forcing his anger at Siwoo to the side, Jimin smiled at Doyeon and gave her an encouraging pat on the back. "Just okay? You were bouncing off the walls a couple days ago. Tell them about the cool experiment you did."

"Well Kim seonsaengnim is teaching us about DNA." Doyeon said. "This week he showed us how to extract the DNA from a strawberry."

"Really?" Jungkook asked, sounding genuinely interested. "What did it look like?"

Doyeon giggled. "Sohee said it looked like a booger. Kim seonsaengnim says we'll learn more about the structure and stuff on the field trip this week."

Jimin smiled. "We're going to the National Children's Science Center. Doyeon's been over the moon for weeks."

"Who's Sohee?" Siwoo asked. "Someone in your class?"

"She's my best friend." Doyeon said. "She's cool and tough and she's got the prettiest hair! We went on a hike with her and Namjoon samchon today. Namjoon samchon made gimbap without any soy and his car has a TV in the back!"

Something dark flickered across Siwoo's face just for a moment. He neatly cut a piece off his steak, speaking in an overly casual tone. "That's awesome, sweetie. And Namjoon is…?"

"He's a friend." Jimin said curtly. "He's Sohee's dad so we end up hanging out now and then."

"Okay." Siwoo said stiffly. "Got it. Cool."

Jungkook turned back to Doyeon. "So you like science? That's so cool. Do you want to be a scientist when you grow up?"

Doyeon smiled shyly. "Actually I really want to be an astronaut."

"That's awesome!" Jungkook exclaimed. "So do you know a whole lot about planets and stuff?"

"I guess." Doyeon shrugged. "Right now I'm studying rockets though."

"She wants to make a model rocket for the end of term science fair." Jimin said with pride for his daughter.

"I can't decide whether I want to do a two-stage rocket or a two-motor cluster." Doyeon said. "The two stage increases the rocket's impulse but if the second stage misfires, it'll just drop without deploying the chute."

Jungkook blinked. "Wow. What's an impulse?"

Everyone continued to eat as Doyeon explained the finer points of model rocket design. Steadily the tension ebbed away. But every once in a while, Jimin caught Siwoo staring in his direction, the alpha's face difficult to read.

***

After dinner, Siwoo brought Jimin and Doyeon back to their apartment building. "That chocolate cake was so good!" Doyeon gushed as she skipped down the hall. "I wanna eat it every day!"

Siwoo smiled. "I'll buy you chocolate cake anytime you want, princess."

"Let's not get too carried away." Jimin said.

"Doyeon, I'm totally gonna check out that interview with the omega astronaut you were talking about." Jungkook said. "She sounds like a boss."

"Yi Soyeon!" Doyeon beamed. "She's a total boss. Did you know she's still the only South Korean to ever go to space! I'm gonna be the second!"

Glancing over his shoulder at Jungkook and Doyeon, Siwoo stepped closer to Jimin and lowered his voice. "Hey, I know things got a little tense at the restaurant."

"A little?" Jimin scoffed.

"I just wanted to say that I’m not trying to pull anything." Siwoo insisted. "I'm here because I'm finally in a place where I can provide for Doyeon. You don't gotta like me. Just give me a chance to start making amends. For Doyeon's sake.

Jimin narrowed his eyes slightly. "I can be civil if you are. Our relationship was a disaster but we're both adults. If you can put your feelings aside and do what's best for Doyeon, then so can I."

Siwoo nodded. "That's all I'm asking."

As Jimin fumbled for his keys, the door to Yoongi's apartment swung open. "That you, Jimin? Some idiot at work heated up, like, two kilograms of dumplings right before closing. Hope you're-" He froze, staring at Siwoo. "The hell are you doing here?"

Jimin looked at Siwoo in confusion as the alpha snorted with laughter. "No way. Min Yoongi. How's it hangin' bro?"

"Yoongi, you know my dad?" Doyeon asked.

Yoongi turned back to Jimin, his face twisted with disgust and disbelief. "This is your ex?"

Jungkook looked around with wide eyes. "I'm sensing a lot of negative energy."

"How do you two know each other?" Jimin asked.

"Oh we go way back." Siwoo laughed. "Yoongi was the weird loner kid at our high school."

Yoongi crossed his arms. "And Siwoo was the school's biggest asshole. I see that hasn't changed."

"And based on this wardrobe situation, I see you have yet to make anything of yourself." Siwoo retorted. "Still chasing the rockstar dream? How's that going?" When Yoongi couldn’t respond, Siwoo smirked and leaned down to kiss the top of Doyeon's head. Doyeon looked between her dad and Yoongi, a conflicted expression on her face. "I'm really happy to be back in your life, sweetie pie. We're gonna see each other a lot from now on."

Doyeon brightened up and let out a cheer. "Goodnight, Appa!"

Siwoo gave Yoongi a mocking two finger salute. "See you around, Yoongi. Enjoy your dumplings."

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly. "It was really nice meeting you all." He waved and scurried after Siwoo as the alpha strode toward the elevator.

Jimin opened their apartment door and beckoned to Doyeon. "Hey, kiddo, why don't you go finish up your homework? I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." Doyeon nodded, looking at Yoongi with a small frown. "Night, Yoongi."

"G'night, Rocket." Yoongi managed to give her a small smile.

As Doyeon disappeared into the apartment, Jimin reached out to put a tentative hand on Yoongi's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. Siwoo doesn't know shit about you or your life. If he ever speaks to you like that again-"

Yoongi cut Jimin off with a sigh. "Thanks, it's fine. Why would I care what that douchebag thinks?" He looked down at Jimin's gown, seeming to notice it for the first time. "Nice dress by the way."

Jimin gave him a tiny smile. "Thanks. I know it's kind of a lot. I don't usually dress up like this."

"It's not a lot." Yoongi shook his head. "It looks real good on you. Classy."

As Jimin's cheeks grew warm, he changed the subject. "Are you alright? Do you wanna come in for a minute?"

Yoongi shook his head, taking a step back towards his own apartment. "I'm good. See you." When his door shut behind him, Jimin ran a hand over his face and groaned in frustration.

Chapter Text

"Hold the fuck up." Haru gaped at Jimin. "Yoongi went to school with your ex?"

Jimin nodded. "Yep." He slumped in his chair, poking moodily at his eggs.

"Isn't it funny?" Doyeon asked. "The odds of this happening are, like, astronomically small!"

"And this new boyfriend of his sounds just…" Haru shook her head slightly. "Wow."

"Jungkook is so cool!" Doyeon gushed. "He has, like, 10 million followers on instagram and he's best friends with Mingyu who's my third favorite idol! He and Appa are taking me to a movie later! In 3D! And Appa said I can get all the snacks I want! It's gonna be awesome!"

"So awesome…" Jimin muttered.

Haru cleared her throat. "Hey Doyeon, I think there's a few hotteok left if you want them." Beaming, Doyeon scampered over to the kitchen while Haru leaned across the table with furrowed eyebrows. "So what's the story here, babe? All I've been able to pick up from context clues is that this dude sucks and we hate him."

Jimin sighed deeply. "Just your typical college love story. Alpha meets omega, alpha is super nice to omega, alpha convinces omega that they're soulmates…"

"Okay, so far I'm not seeing the bad here." Haru said.

Then Jimin continued. "Alpha slowly breaks down omega's self-confidence and eventually reveals himself to be a total narcissist."

Haru nodded solemnly. "There it is."

"We found out I was pregnant at the beginning of our last year of university." Jimin said. "We got married and I dropped out of school to take care of Doyeon. After Siwoo graduated, neither of us could find a job. That's when things started getting really ugly. Siwoo blamed me for our life going to hell. He said I tied him down too early, kept him from pursuing the kind of life he deserved."

"That son of a bitch." Haru scowled.

"The worst part was how our fights affected Doyeon." Jimin frowned. "She says she doesn't remember much from that time, but I do. Sometimes after we'd spent a couple hours cussing each other out, I'd come into Doyeon's room and find her curled up under the bed with her fingers in her ears." He subconsciously clenched his fist. "I will never put her through that again."

Haru reached across the table to take Jimin's hand. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry you went through that. You want me to go kill him for you? Nobody will suspect the omega in the wheelchair. Promise."

Jimin let out a sad laugh. "Tempting but Doyeon is just so happy he's back. I can't bring myself to burst her bubble." His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out as Doyeon flopped back down at the table with a fresh stack of hotteok and saw a text from Namjoon.

Hi Jimin, are you busy right now?

Just wrapping up breakfast, why?

This is so embarrassing, but do you
know how to do a braid?

I do in fact. Why?

Today is Sohee's first soccer practice
of the season, and she says her hair is
going to get in her face

I have no idea what to do, usually we
just put one of those clip things in it.

Good god, how can one kid have so
much hair?!

Omg, Namjoon, breathe 😂

Please help me, Jimin, you're my only
hope.

"What's so funny?" Haru asked.

Jimin shook his head in amusement. "Namjoon is asking me to come over and help him do Sohee's hair for soccer practice."

"That is the cutest fucking thing I have ever heard in my life." Haru said. "I think my ovaries just exploded."

"You should go help." Doyeon said. "You used to do my hair for swim class and you're really good at it."

Haru smiled. "The munchkin can hang out here until it's time for her movie. Go save the poor alpha." Chuckling, Jimin started tapping at his phone again.

Say I do come help, what's in it for me?
😉

Besides my eternal gratitude?

How about the best cup of coffee
you've ever had?

Fresh-roasted beans, delivered this
very morning from the extremely
pretentious coffee shop down the
street…

Ooooooh, NOW you have my attention.

Does that mean you'll come?

I'll be there in 10!

You're a lifesaver, Jimin

See you soon!

Jimin made his way over to Namjoon's house and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, Namjoon opened the door, visible relief on his face. "Oh, thank goodness. My savior has arrived!"

"Careful." Jimin giggled. "I could get used to being greeted like that."

As Jimin followed Namjoon inside, Sohee waved from a stool at the kitchen bar. "Hi Doyeon's eomma!"

"Hi Namjoon's daughter." Jimin waved back at her. "How's it going?"

Sohee pouted. "Appa sucks at braiding hair."

"I'm sure he was doing fine." Jimin said.

"No, she's right." Namjoon sighed. "I'm helpless. I tried to follow an internet tutorial and almost tied my hand to her head. Please save us."

Jimin smiled. "Jimin to the rescue." He moved over to stand behind Sohee and began brushing the tangles out of her hair. "Okay so French braiding looks hard, but I promise once you've done it a couple times, it's really easy. First let's part the hair down the middle like so…" Jimin parted her hair. "Then you start at the front on one side, like this, and grab three strands of hair."

Namjoon nodded as he watched Jimin. "Okay, makes sense so far."

"Then you wind them around each other, adding more hair each time." Jimin began to slowly braid Sohee's hair, making sure Namjoon was watching the process.

"It doesn't even hurt!" Sohee exclaimed in delight.

Jimin paused for a second. "It shouldn't ever hurt."

Namjoon winced. "Sorry, Sohee."

"You were probably just overthinking it." Jimin said. "The important thing is that it holds up to running and keeps the hair out of her eyes. It doesn't really matter what it looks like."

"That's what I said." Sohee huffed.

"By that logic, we could just give you a hairnet." Namjoon pointed out. "Or shave it all off."

Sohee gasped. "Can we?!"

"No." Namjoon shook his head. "We are not shaving your head." Sohee deflated, her shoulders slumping.

"We could always cut it short and dye it purple like Megan Rapinoe." Jimin mused, causing Sohee to perk up again.

"Maybe some other time when we don't have to leave in 15 minutes." Namjoon said.

Jimin continued braiding while Namjoon watched, the alpha scribbling on a legal pad. "Are you literally taking notes right now?" Jimin asked in disbelief.

"Don't make fun of me." Namjoon said.

"Then quit being such a nerd." Jimin retorted.

Sohee laughed. "He called you a nerd." Namjoon set down the legal pad with a smirk.

"So Sohee, I heard you're kind of a big shot at soccer." Jimin changed the subject.

"Yeah, I'm the best one on my team." Sohee boasted.

Namjoon gave her a stern look. "Sohee, come on, that's not very nice to your teammates."

"Is it true?" Jimin asked.

Namjoon was quiet for a moment, trying to fight the smile tugging at his lips. "Pretty much."

Sohee let out a frustrated noise. "Coach Choi makes me play goalie though."

"You don't like being the goalie?" Jimin asked.

"No, it's super boring." Sohee complained. "You just stand around half the time."

"She used to be a striker." Namjoon clarified. "They put her in the goal because she was 'playing too aggressively'." Jimin raised his eyebrows.

"She said I scored too many goals." Sohee elaborated.

"You're kidding me." Jimin scoffed.

Namjoon shook his head. "Apparently they want sports to be fun for everyone. Crazy, I know."

"It's not fair!" Sohee pouted. "I shouldn't get punished just because other people suck."

"I think you're right." Jimin said. "Don't let other people hold you back just because they're too afraid of how good you are. Especially alphas. They'll be doing that your whole life." After a beat, he added on, "No offense, Namjoon."

Namjoon chuckled. "None taken. It makes me pretty mad too."

"That's not what you said yesterday." Sohee exposed him.

"That's because I also see your coach's point." Namjoon said. "It's about teaching sportsmanship-" Sohee cut him off by booing, giving two thumbs down. "-and if anyone needs to learn better sportsmanship, it's you." Sohee stuck her tongue out at him.

Jimin bit back a laugh. "Hang in there. Once you get to high school, the coaches will kill to have you out there scoring a million goals." He finished up Sohee's braid, wrapping a hair tie around the end. "And done!"

"Wait, that's it?" Namjoon blinked in disbelief. "Okay, I can do that."

"Told you." Jimin smiled.

Namjoon stood up. "Alright, Sohee, we have to take off in about 10 minutes. Go get your uniform on." Sohee launched off the stool and hurried up the staircase as Namjoon turned to Jimin. "I believe I promised you coffee?"

"The best cup I've ever had, you said." Jimin confirmed. Namjoon grinded some coffee beans and dumped them into a French press, pouring hot water over the top. "This is a really lovely home by the way."

"Thank you." Namjoon said. "Soojin and I actually built it together right after we got married."

Jimin's eyes widened. "Really? I don't think I've ever actually met anybody who built a house in real life."

"Honestly it was mostly Soojin." Namjoon admitted. "She was an architect. This house was sort of her baby before the actual baby." He ran a hand along the counter, a bittersweet twinkle in his eye. "There's a lot of memories here…and empty rooms…"

"Guess you'll just have to fill them up with new memories." Jimin said softly.

A smile tugged at Namjoon's lips. "We just made one today. At this counter, Namjoon learned the magic art of the french braid." Jimin laughed. "Seriously though, you should have seen me trying to do that earlier. Total disaster. I'm a mess when it comes to this stuff."

"There's no secret manual, you know" Jimin said. "You just give it your best shot and try to fuck up a little less each time."

"It's funny." Namjoon murmured. "I can argue billion won lawsuits in court but the idea of my kid getting made fun of because I did her hair wrong terrifies me."

"Sohee can handle herself." Jimin assured him.

Namjoon blinked. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Jimin laughed again. "Your kid standing up for herself is a good thing. It means she's got self-confidence which means you already did the important part."

"You think?" Namjoon asked.

"I do." Jimin nodded. "As for braiding hair, that's just a fiddly little skill. You'll pick it up in no time."

Namjoon poured out two mugs of dark coffee and slid one over to Jimin. "Do you want milk? Half and half? Powdered creamer?"

"I'm good." Jimin said. "But feel free to keep listing things."

"Do you enjoy teasing me?" Namjoon asked.

"Oh, it's rapidly turning into my favorite pastime." Jimin confirmed before taking a sip of his coffee.

Namjoon chuckled. "Finally, the truth comes out. You act all nice but inside you're a monster who picks on poor defenseless lawyers."

"Monster?!" Jimin gasped. "You take that back!"

"I'm sorry, would you prefer fiend?" Namjoon asked. "Or maybe villain? I can keep listing options if you like." Jimin grabbed a dish towel from the counter and started swatting it at Namjoon, who did his best to fend off Jimin's attacks. "What about Jimin the Merciless? That's got a nice ring to it."

"I'll have you know I'm the nicest person you've ever met in your life!" Jimin exclaimed.

Namjoon lunged forward, grabbing the dish towel. Laughing, they struggled over it, each trying to yank it out of the other's hands. Then Jimin dropped his end of the dish towel and reached out to tickle Namjoon's ribs. "No fair!" Namjoon squealed while squirming away.

"If you wanted a fair fight, sir, you shouldn't have besmirched my honor!" Jimin argued. "Now apologize!"

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry!" Namjoon yelped. "You're not a monster! You're a perfect angel who would never-" He jumped and quickly backed away from Jimin as Sohee's footsteps came thundering down the stairs.

"I'm ready!" Sohee grinned. "Are we leaving now?" She then furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Appa, why is your face so red?"

"Nothing!" Namjoon blurted out. "I mean, it's not…we're not…" He clapped his hands together. "Why don't you go toss your stuff in the car? I'll be out in two minutes."

"Sure." Sohee eyed him as she headed for the door.

"Good luck today, Sohee!" Jimin called after her. "Score a goal for me!"

"But I'm the goalie." Sohee reminded him.

Jimin shrugged. "I said what I said." Sohee grinned and gave him a double thumbs up before heading out to the car. "Hey, Namjoon." The alpha turned to him. "I'm really glad Sohee and Doyeon became friends."

Namjoon smiled softly. "Me too. I think they'll be good for one another. Thank you again for your help. You really saved my ass."

"No problem." Jimin moved to leave. "Gimme a call before her next game. We can buzz the sides and give her a mohawk."

Namjoon choked on his spit. "I know you're joking but please don't let Sohee hear you say that."

"Who said I was joking?" Jimin wiggled his eyebrows before ducking out of the house.

Chapter Text

Doyeon skipped down the sidewalk as she and Jimin headed for the supermarket, her words a constant excited stream. "And the museum has the third biggest planetarium in the country! Do you think we're gonna have time to check out the planetarium, Eomma?"

Jimin shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so."

"Seonsaengnim said they have a whole exhibit on the nuclear fusion that happens inside stars!" Doyeon gushed. "Do you think-" She suddenly skidded to a stop, causing Jimin to nearly run into her.

"Careful, Doyeon, I almost-"

Doyeon cut him off. "Eomma, look!" She pointed at a kid sized mannequin inside the window of a clothing store. The planet Saturn was emblazoned across its shirt in sparkling gold.

"Wow, that's a neat shirt." Jimin smiled. "It's got your favorite planet and everything."

"So awesome!" Doyeon exclaimed in awe before looking at Jimin with pleading eyes. "Seonsaengnim said we don't have to wear uniforms tomorrow. Maybe I could wear a cool space outfit to the museum? If it's not too expensive?"

After seeing that the outfit in question was on sale, Jimin had no qualms running into the store to purchase the purple and gold ensemble for Doyeon. "I'll be so sparkly!' Doyeon gushed as they exited the store once more. "Thank you, Eomma!"

Jimin giggled at her excitement. "You're welcome."

***

Jimin and Doyeon arrived at Hybe to find the entire fourth grade class milling around on the front lawn next to a row of cheery yellow buses. "I can't believe I get to ride an actual school bus!" Doyeon squealed. "Just like in the movies!" She sprinted away from Jimin. "I'm gonna go find seats for me and Sohee!"

"Save one for me too!" Jimin called after her as he followed her at a more sedate pace. He spotted Taehyung standing beside one of the buses' doors, checking off students' names on a clipboard.

"Morning, Jimin." Taehyung greeted him. "Are you one of the brave souls who volunteered to herd these hyperactive cats?"

Jimin nodded. "One cat herder reporting for duty."

The two of them watched the students file into their assigned buses. Jimin fiddled nervously with his car keys, thoughts drifting to the events of the other day. "Is something up?" Taehyung asked. "You seem a little frazzled this morning."

"Oh, just the universe reminding me that nothing's ever allowed to be simple." Jimin sighed before catching Taehyung up on the weekend's events starting from Siwoo's surprise appearance.

Taehyung's eyes were wide by the time Jimin finished. "Oh my god, that's just…are you okay?"

Jimin shrugged sadly. "I'm dealing with it. For now, at least. I just hope nothing else goes wrong." He ran a hand through his hair. "I just can't shake this feeling that Siwoo is up to something. He keeps saying he's not trying to force his way back into our lives but…"

"I don't blame you." Taehyung said. "Sounds like he hasn't given you any reason to trust him yet. And given your history…"

Jimin shook his head, trying to dispel the anxious thoughts clouding his brain. "You know what? I'm not gonna dwell on it today. Today, I'm gonna just enjoy some quality one on one time with my beautiful daughter."

Taehyung smiled. "Just what the doctor ordered. Better load up then. Buses leave in five."

Jimin climbed the narrow steps into the bus and started scanning the sea of excited faces for Doyeon. "Eomma, over here!" Doyeon waved to get his attention. "Look who's coming on the field trip!"

Working his way through the crowded bus, Jimin realized with horror who exactly was already sitting next to his daughter. "Hello, fellow chaperone." Siwoo grinned up at him.

"You have got to be kidding me." Jimin muttered.

***

"And here in the main wing, we have Robotics, Tectonics, Astronomy, and--everyone's favorite--Human Anatomy." Taehyung announced as he led the kids into the museum. "Now we have one hour of unstructured free time on this floor so I suggest you all go and make the most of it. I know I will!" The kids exploded across the museum as Jimin and the other chaperones looked on.

Doyeon gasped excitedly. "They have an exhibit about wormholes!"

"Who cares?" Sohee laughed. "I can see that guys' guts!"

Jimin called out to them. "Hey guys, I know you're excited, but no running! And please stay within earshot!"

"Come on, they're just having fun." Siwoo said as he appeared amidst the cluster of strolling adults, instantly souring Jimin's mood.

"Having fun doesn't mean they can be disruptive." Jimin argued.

"Hey, disruption can be a good thing." Siwoo said.

Jimin glared at him. "Seriously?"

The other parents crowded around Siwoo, peppering him with questions and ignoring Jimin. "It's so nice to finally meet Doyeon's father." Hayoon said with a bright smile. "I understand you're originally from Daegu?"

Siwoo nodded. "Born and bred."

"So what brings you to Seoul?" Hoseok asked.

"Work." Siwoo said. "A startup I founded is about to go public so things have been pretty crazy. But at least I get a little break now to be here for little Doyeon."

"A startup!" Hayoon exclaimed. "So impressive!"

"What do you do?" Jinhwa asked.

"We run an app." Siwoo said. "It's pretty obscure, I doubt you've heard of it. It uses data driven neural networks to assign users animal themed profiles-"

Hoseok interrupted him. "Wait, you created Nomme?"

Jinhwa gasped. "No way! We love that app!"

"I'm such a mongoose!" They all shared a laugh that made Jimin want to tear his hair out.

"It's amazing you can juggle all that and a kid." Hayoon said. "Isn't that amazing, Jimin?"

Jimin gave her a tight smile. "It helps that he hasn't been around."

A flash of irritation flickered across Siwoo's face but he hid it behind a smile. "Yes, you were very supportive."

"That's such an interesting choice of wording." Jimin said.

Hayoon scoffed. Hoseok cleared his throat. Jinhwa muttered under her breath, "Drama bomb."

"So, um, Hayoon, did I hear you mention you're an attorney earlier?" Siwoo changed the subject. "Tell me about that."

"Okay but I should warn you I've already heard every stupid lawyer joke in existence." Hayoon said.

As the others chatted, Jimin found himself gravitating toward the rear of the pack. At a nearby exhibit about the respiratory system, Jimin found Taehyung leaning against a railing. "What are you doing over here by yourself?" Jimin asked.

"Just giving the kids a few minutes." Taehyung said. "Gotta let them burn off that initial burst of 'woo, field trip' before you try to teach them anything." HE smiled. "There's plenty of extra loitering room here if you want to join me."

Jimin nodded. "Loitering sounds nice." He leaned on the railing next to Taehyung and the two of them watched a looping CG video clip of air moving in and out of lungs.

"So Doyeon's father seems interesting." Taehyung mused.

"That's one word for him." Jimin grumbled.

"I have to say, it's a little ridiculous how quickly they're treating him like one of the gang after the hazing they gave you." Taehyung said.

Jimin barked out a laugh. "Isn't it?" He shook his head, letting out an agitated sigh. "Whatever. They deserve him. Let's talk about something more interesting."

"How's this for interesting?" Taehyung grinned. "I picked up that project I was telling you about again."

"Your band aid heart monitor thing?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung nodded. "After our chat the other day, I went rooting around for my old project notes and couldn't resist fiddling again."

Jimin smiled. "That's exciting. How's it going so far?"

"Pretty good." Taehyung said. "I cleaned up a bunch of old designs for the casing last night. Now if I could just decide on a suitable power source…"

"Have you thought about solar?" Jimin suggested.

Taehyung nodded. "I thought about that but it would only work if it was daytime. And if the patient was shirtless."

"Maybe there's an untapped market for beach volleyball players with heart conditions." Jimin joked.

Taehyung laughed. "You may be onto something."

Jimin glanced toward the field trip group again. About nine meters away, Doyeon and Sohee stood in front of a touch screen at a 'label the planets' exhibit. "I think the orange one is Saturn." Sohee said. "Which planet is the green one again? Is green Venus?"

"And this one's Titan." Doyeon smiled. "And that one's Enceladus."

Sohee gaped at her. "Are you doing moons?"

Beside Jimin, Taehyung shook his head and laughed again. "She's a little firecracker."

"I feel like I can barely keep up with her sometimes." Jimin admitted. "She's gonna be smarter than me by the time she's in middle school."

"Oh, that reminds me." Taehyung fished in his bag and came out with a rumpled pamphlet. "The museum has this after school program on Tuesdays and Thursdays that I wanted to tell you about."

"Astronaut training?" Jimin scanned the pamphlet. "Oh my god, Doyeon would love this!"

Taehyung smiled. "It's a really great program. 15 weeks, they study actual KASA curriculum, and any kids who complete it get to go to space camp."

Jimin flipped to the pricing page and grimaced. "285,000 a week?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Taehyung frowned. "I didn't even think-"

"No, no, I appreciate it." Jimin insisted. "It's just…" He sighed. "I really can't afford that on what I make now."

"I can help!" Jimin's jaw clenched as he turned to find Siwoo hovering nearby. "Sorry, couldn't help but overhear."

"Of course you couldn't." Jimin said.

Siwoo gave him a condescending look. "Don't be like that. You need help and I'm offering it. What's the problem?"

Jimin's eyes flicked between Siwoo and the pamphlet, the weight of a major decision pressing down on top of him. "I'll pay for it myself."

"Seriously?" Siwoo asked in annoyance.

"I don't want whatever kind of help you're offering." Jimin said. "Or the strings that come attached."

Siwoo scoffed. "Unbelievable. Why do you have to be so-"

They were interrupted by the sound of squeaking shoes as Doyeon ran up to them. "Seonsaengnim, guess what! I labeled the entire solar system and only missed one moon!"

"Which one?" Taehyung asked.

Doyeon pouted. "Mars. Stupid Phobos."

Taehyung chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Phobos is in a degrading orbit. So in about 30 million years, it'll crash into the planet and you'll be golden!"

"Awesome!" Doyeon gushed.

"Not as awesome as that outfit." Taehyung smiled. "I love your shirt!"

Doyeon beamed. "I don't always like sparkly stuff but this one was just so pretty!"

"Super jealous." Taehyung said. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I definitely don't have enough sparkly skirts in my wardrobe."

Smiling, Doyeon turned to Jimin. "Eomma, there's a face hole thing over there! Can we do it?"

"A what?" Jimin asked.

Doyeon pointed to a cardboard cutout of an astronaut and an alien. A placard read, 'Take a photo at the Apollo 11 Landing Site!' "This place is so cool! We have to take something home and put it on the board! Please?"

Siwoo stepped forward. "What's all this about a board?"

"It's a project Eomma and me are doing." Doyeon said. "We save memories of new things. Like adventures and stuff."

"Well, hey, you and me getting to know each other is a new adventure, right?" Siwoo grinned. "How about I take a picture with you instead?"

Jimin shot Siwoo a glare as Doyeon looked between them, unsure of how to respond. He then turned back to Doyeon with a smile. "That's a great idea! And then when you work at KASA someday, I'll have a cute picture to embarrass you in front of your coworkers." Doyeon cheered.

Siwoo awkwardly cleared his throat. "So should I join you or-"

Taehyung interrupted him. "Actually, I could use your help passing out armbands for the thing later."

"What thing?" Siwoo asked.

Taehyung gave Jimin a subtle shooing gesture while he stalled Siwoo. Jimin mouthed a silent thank you as Doyeon pulled him away. At the photo standee, Jimin dropped a small donation into the box then joined Doyeon behind the cutouts. "Do you want to be the astronaut or the alien?"

"Astronaut, duh!" Doyeon grinned.

"Don't duh me." Jimin playfully nudged her. "Maybe I want to be the astronaut."

Doyeon shook her head. "You can be the alien. It's weird like you."

Jimin laughed as they pushed their faces through the holes. Jimin's finger hovered over a small button on the back of the display. "Okay, look at the camera and say kimchi on three."

"I've never understood why people say that." Doyeon said. "What does kimchi have to do with-"

"Doyeon, I already pushed the button." Jimin informed her. "Quit talking and smile!"

As the camera flash faded, Jimin plucked the photo from a slot in the wall. "Hey, that's pretty good!" Jimin smiled. "So when are we going to the moon for real?"

Doyeon gaped at him. "You want to go to the moon? Why?"

"Who are you, the moon police?" Jimin laughed. "Maybe I just want to take in the sights. Enjoy a little moon walk, maybe some moon golf."

"They don't have golf on the moon." Doyeon said.

"Not yet." Jimin shrugged.