Chapter 6 - Silent Tuesday

The second visit should have been easier. But Jimin hadn't slept all night. He tossed and turned, thinking about syringes, needles... and Dr. Jeon's eyes.

The waiting room was quiet. The radio was playing something calm, but Jimin couldn't hear the words. He stared at the clock, counting the minutes.

“Mr. Park,” the same voice again. Low, calm, as if nothing could upset him.

Jimin entered the office.

Jungkook didn't look at him right away. He was writing something down, then looked up. And then, for a second... he hesitated.

“It's good you came,” he said. ‘Not everyone comes back.”

“I'm just as scared,’ Jimin admitted, sitting down. ‘But I figured at least I wouldn't die alone.”

Jungkook smiled slightly. ’It's nice that you chose me to witness your death.”

“So, are we going to make it through this?”

“I'd rather you didn't get emotional. It'll be fine. I promise.”

This moment was different. Quieter. As if something in their conversation had slowed down, as if there was less distance between them now.

“Are you listening to anything today?” Jungkook asked, putting on his gloves.

“Can I play something from my phone?”

“Sure. Just not death metal.”

“How about something... classical?”

“Classical?“ Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

“Chopin. To feel more dramatic.”

“You're impossible,” Jungkook muttered, but his smile was genuine.

---

Chapter 7 - Too Close, Too Long

The procedure took over an hour. Jungkook was focused, precise, like an artist working on a sketch. Jimin watched him whenever he could. Or rather, he felt him.

He felt his closeness. The warmth of his body. The scent of his skin. The hands that touched him through gloves, but still left a mark on his memory.

When Jungkook leaned in to get a better look at one of the tooth canals, his hair brushed Jimin's forehead.

Jimin held his breath.

“Don't move,” Jungkook said quietly, almost in a whisper.

Jimin's heart was pounding. And it wasn't because of the stress of the procedure.

When the chair finally rose, Jimin sat up straight and looked at the dentist.

“Jungkook?”

The name hung in the air like something forbidden. Jungkook looked at him intently.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing... Just... thank you.”

“For the treatment or for the playlist?”

“For making me not so scared anymore. I don't know how you did it.”

Jungkook bowed his head. “Sometimes you just need to listen to someone. And sometimes you just need to be there.”

Jimin felt his chest becoming too tight for all the emotions.

---

Chapter 8 - Coffee from the shadows

A week later, Jimin rushed into the clinic with a cup of coffee in his hand. For himself. But at the last moment, in the elevator, he thought of Jungkook.

And... he turned back.

He bought a second one. Black. No sugar.

“For you,” he said as he entered the office and handed the cup to Jungkook.

He looked surprised. He took the coffee in his hand, as if he didn't know what to do with it.

“Thank you... You didn't have to.”

“I know. But I wanted to.”

Jungkook looked at him for a long moment. Finally, he said,

“It's hard for me to accept gestures. I'm usually the one who takes care of others.”

“Maybe sometimes it's okay to let someone take care of you?”

Silence. Their eyes met.

“Sit down,” Jungkook said quietly.

And everything returned to normal. But not quite. Something had shifted. Subtly. Almost imperceptibly. But irreversibly.

---

Chapter 9 - Like a movie

At the end of the visit, Jungkook leaned in to take a closer look at the results of the treatment.

Jimin held his breath, feeling the warmth of his hand on his face. His fingers moved slightly along his jawline, in a completely professional manner. But Jimin felt like he was on fire.

“Perfect,” Jungkook said. ‘You're in good shape.”

“Physically or mentally?”

Jungkook looked at him. ’You tell me.”

“I feel like this is all... like a movie.”

“Root canal treatment?”

“The meeting. The closeness. All those... looks.”

Jungkook froze.

“Maybe some movies aren't fiction,” he said finally. ”They're just waiting for someone to believe in them.”

Jimin looked away, unable to bear the honesty.

But he was smiling as he left the clinic.

---

Chapter 10 - Make an appointment

“You're all done,” Jungkook said, putting away the paperwork. ”Tooth saved. You can stop being afraid of me now.”

“What if I don't want to?”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

“What if... I want to keep coming here?”

“For checkups?”

“For anything. Even for coffee. Or for... a smile.”

Jungkook looked at him for so long that time stopped.

“Maybe we can meet outside the office then,” he said quietly.

Jimin nodded, feeling the blood pulsing in his temples.

Something was beginning. Slowly. Quietly. Imperceptibly. But unstoppable.