OVERDUE

BLONDE

3:15am.

He’s waiting for her as usual.

Jungkook’s glaze is stuck on the computer. Not really reading. Just keeping his eyes busy so his brain doesn’t count the minutes. He knows she’ll come. She came back last night. Said no. Said sorry. Took the book.

3:17am is 32 minutes away. He has time.

The library’s dead quiet except the radiators popping like knuckles. He’s stopped sitting in her chair. Stopped writing notes. Stopped tracking. Taehyung called it stalking. He called it data. Both were lying.

2:45am.

The door shushes.

He doesn’t look up right away. He’s learning. Last time he looked up too fast and froze. Last time she said no.

But the footsteps aren’t hers.

Hers are quiet. Like she’s trying not to be here. These are loose. Confident. Like the floor belongs to them.

He looks up.

Not her.

A boy. Not a man. Same age as him, maybe 26, 27. Blonde hair. Not dyed yellow, but that soft kind that looks white under the fluorescents. Not short but not tall. Jungkook’s 178cm. This guy’s maybe 175cm. Handsome but cute. Sharp jaw, round eyes. Hoodie, jeans, scuffed Converse.

Jungkook’s stomach does something stupid. Like he should know this face. Like he forgot someone and his body remembers before his brain does.

_Why feel like I know him before,_ Jungkook thinks.

The boy walks straight to the desk. Doesn’t wander the stacks. Doesn’t pretend to look for something.

Stops in front of him. Smiles. Small. Tired.

“Hey,” the boy says. Then: “Huh…” Like he forgot what he was gonna say. Runs a hand through his hair. “Can you help me to find _The Bell Jar_?”

Jungkook’s hands go cold.

_The Bell Jar_.

He looks at the computer. 813.54 PLA. Status: Checked out. By Y/N. 18 minutes ago? No. She’s not here yet. It’s 2:46am. She checked it out yesterday. Returned it 3:47am. Minho shelved it.

Unless—

“Um,” Jungkook says. Voice normal. Good. “It should be on the shelf. Literature. 813.54.”

The boy nods. Doesn’t move. “Yeah. I looked.”

“Not there?”

“No.”

Jungkook frowns. Minho wouldn’t mess up. Minho is lazy, not bad at his job.

“I can check,” Jungkook says. He stands. Legs are fine. Good. Not freezing.

He walks out from behind the desk. The boy steps back. Polite.

They walk to Literature together. The boy’s hands are in his pockets. He smells like citrus and coffee. Not the library coffee. Good coffee.

813.54 PLA.

Empty.

Jungkook pulls the books on either side forward. _The Awakening_. _The Color Purple_. No _Bell Jar_.

“Weird,” Jungkook mutters. Checks the reshelving cart. Not there. Checks under the desk when they get back. Not there.

The boy leans on the counter. Watching him. Not creepy. Just… waiting.

“It was here this morning,” Jungkook says. “Checked out last night. Returned 3:47am. Should be back.”

The boy’s eyes do something. Flash. Not literally. Just recognition.

“3:47am,” the boy repeats. Soft. “She’s punctual.”

Jungkook goes still.

_She._

He didn’t say Y/N. He didn’t say she.

“How do you—”

“You know her?” the boy cuts in. Not aggressive. Curious. Head tilted.

Jungkook’s mouth is dry. “Who?”

“The girl who reads it. 3:17am. Every night.”

The radiators clank.

Jungkook’s data. His not-stalking. This guy just said it out loud.

“I—” He stops. Lies are bad. Truth is worse. “I work here. People check out books.”

The boy smiles again. Same small, tired one. “Right.” He taps the counter. Once. “I’m Jimin.”

Jungkook’s brain misfires.

Jimin.

Y/N’s friend. From university. Works at the campus health center.

“You,” Jungkook says. Stupid.

“Me,” Jimin agrees.

“You know her.”

“I do.” Jimin looks at the empty slot where _The Bell Jar_ should be. “She took it. About ten minutes ago.”

2:46am. She’s early. She never—

“She doesn’t come early,” Jungkook says before he can stop himself.

Jimin looks at him. Really looks. Not mean. Not judging. Just seeing.

“No,” Jimin says. “She doesn’t. Not unless she’s scared.”

The door didn’t shush. Jungkook would’ve heard.

“Where—”

“Relax.” Jimin holds his hands up. “She’s fine. She asked me to get it for her. She didn’t want to come in tonight.”

Jungkook’s chest does that thing again. The blood-coming-back hurt.

“Why?”

Jimin studies him. Long enough that it should be awkward. Isn’t.

“Because you stopped writing notes,” Jimin says.

Jungkook flinches.

“And that scared her more than the notes did.”

The clock above the door says 2:51am.

26 minutes until 3:17am.

Jimin pushes off the counter. “Tell her page 47 isn’t the end. If she comes back.”

He walks to the door.

“Wait,” Jungkook says. Third time. He’s got a problem.

Jimin stops. Looks over his shoulder.

“Have we met?” Jungkook asks. “Before?”

Jimin’s smile changes. Less tired. More sad.

“Yeah,” he says. “University. You dropped Lit. I dropped Bio. We had Intro Psych together. You sat two rows up. Took notes in the margins.”

Jungkook doesn’t remember.

“You don’t remember,” Jimin says. Not a question.

“No.”

“It’s okay.” Jimin shushes the door open. Cold comes in. “You were reading _The Bell Jar_ back then too. Different reason.”

The door closes.

3:17am.

Y/N doesn’t come.

_The Bell Jar_ is gone.

Jungkook sits behind the desk.

Opens a new sticky note. Yellow.

Doesn’t write.

Just holds it.

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