Chapter Text
Jimin hates Novembers. They bring bad news and sad memories. He still remembers clearly, on a November morning when he had presented, at the age of 15. An omega . His eomma had been ecstatic. His appa, not so. He had his first heat, which nearly tore him apart. But that's not entirely why he doesn't like Novembers.
Two years later, on a similar November morning, Jimin had found his eomma crying and screaming, reading a letter left by their appa. His brother, Jihyun, was only 10, he didn't even know what was happening. And to be honest, even Jimin didn't know what had happened. His confusions were answered when he read the letter. His appa had left them. He had made a formal request to have the mating bond be annulled, a painful procedure. Jimin still remembers clearly, how he had to keep holding his eomma, how he had to wipe away her tears.
Jimin isn't a fan of Novembers. They remind him of the struggles, the pain and the heartbreak he has had to endure. They remind him of the fact that Love, as people say is strong, is just a fleeting emotion. They had to leave their apartment in the same month, after the painful procedure of bond breakage. He moved to Seoul with his eomma and his brother, hoping for it to be a new start. But deep down he knew, it was just the beginning of his struggle.
Seoul was cold. With the help of his eomma’s sister, they had managed to find a small apartment for themselves. The rent was okay, but the space was tiny. It was all they could afford. His appa had refused to provide any help. His eomma had been a stay at home omega all her life, but situations make us do stuff we never think we'd be doing. At 17, Jimin saw his eomma looking for jobs and actually finding one at a nearby diner. The pay was okay, but not enough to save. And so Jimin began working part-time too. Jihyun was still young and he didn't want his brother to face any difficulties in life. Jimin had already realised two things in life by the time he was 18:
- Love didn't exist, trust was a myth, all he had was himself to rely on
- He needed to work and study his ass off so he could take care of his family.
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3 years later, on a cold day in November, Jimin meets Jungkook. And Jimin finds more reasons to not like Novembers. It was his final year in the University. He had been working tirelessly to keep his scholarship, a fact no one knew about. And then during the first day of the last semester, he meets Jungkook, a business major he had to share a few classes with.
Normally Jimin wouldn't even pay any heed to the people he meets. He has managed to keep to himself all throughout university life. Sometimes people even thought of him as a recluse. He didn't care. He had too much on his plate. He had recently gotten a new part-time job at the university's library. He was excited about it. It meant he could study better, have access to new books and also get paid for it. Miss Kim had really helped him throughout his journey. His professor knew about his struggles and had kindly even offered to help him out with extra classes. No one in this expensive Uni knew about Jimin’s scholarship, and Jimin wanted to keep it that way. His classmates were mostly rich, but they were okay, not the bullying type. They minded their own businesses. And Jimin appreciated it. Until he met Jungkook.
Jungkook came from old money. He didn't have to look into his family history to know it. His presence exuded such an aura. The alpha smelled like rich chocolate and leather. Even his scent was expensive. Jimin didn't really care much about his classmates, but this particular alpha had almost made it his mission to beat Jimin in the classes they shared. Jimin honestly doesn't know why the alpha cared about it at all. Maybe he didn't wanna be bested by an omega. But the alpha surely had made his last semester a hell.
Sometimes Jungkook would come to the library and intentionally ask for books placed on the higher racks and shelves, knowing Jimin would struggle to reach them. He could hear the alpha snicker behind him, it angered him but he never reacted, which further aggravated Jungkook. Other times, he would take a dozen books out and then just return them, making Jimin work more as he had to then again arrange the books by alphabetical order. One day, Jimin even heard Jungkook make a comment at him. "Omega goody-two shoes even takes extra classes to stay in the professor’s good books"
If only Jungkook knew.
In a different universe, Jimin would have actually liked befriending the alpha. Jungkook wasn't this hostile towards anyone else. In fact, the alpha was well liked by all their classmates and professors and even participated in cocurricular activities such as sports and quizzes. Deep down Jimin actually admired how Jungkook excelled in numerous things. Jimin? He only had his academics. He never got to indulge in anything else. In a different universe, where Jimin didn't have the responsibilities he has now, he would have actually wanted to be Jungkook's friend, not his enemy. But this was not the alternate universe. And in this universe, Jimin does what he does best. In the final semester exams, he tops his class again. He is happy, he has been offered an internship at a big firm too.
His eomma and brother couldn't attend his graduation. Jihyun had a big game, and Jimin himself had urged his eomma to attend that instead of his graduation. It wouldn’t matter, he had told himself. But as he received his scroll, no one cheered for him. The silence was deafening. He felt sad, and he hoped his scent didn't show it. But then out of the blue, he heard loud clapping sounds coming from behind him. He had been shocked to find none other than Jeon Jungkook, smiling at him as he clapped. Jimin didn't know how to react. Soon the entire audience erupted into applause and Jimin felt his spirits rising.
After the ceremony, Jimin had wanted to thank Jungkook. But somehow he couldn't, the alpha was surrounded by his friends and family. they all seemed very happy and proud of him, rightly so. Jimin just didn't have the courage to approach them. And so he thanked him in his heart and had left. He had a lot to think about. His upcoming internship, his brother's admission to high school and his mother’s health. Jimin knew, life wasn't gonna get easier. And he knew, he had only himself to count on.