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His cotton candy coloured hair bounced with each step down the empty street, the houses and stores lined on either side dark and quiet. He claimed the colour was a drunken mistake, but that was weeks ago and you were fairly certain he went in for a touch up yesterday. He always liked pink and had never been afraid to admit it before, but you thought the bold gesture of dying his hair just flustered him, causing him to shy away from others compliments.
Your mind wandered back to the last twenty minutes spent at the karaoke pub. A little giggle escaped you as you remembered the singing battle you both engaged in with an elderly couple. Jin practically carried the team with his award-winning voice. You shook your head at the following moments. You had stayed there all night until a security member escorted the both of you out, claiming you made too much noise, even for a karaoke club, and that they’ve been closed for an hour.
You glanced back at Jin, watching him slurp the last chunk of his cup of ramen. He discarded his now empty cup and wooden chopsticks in the garbage bin on the sidewalk. He returned to your side as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
You stared down at your half-eaten food to resist the urge to blush at how cute he was. As your stomach turned with him on your mind, you realized you really couldn’t finish your food and it would be a shame to waste it. Resting the chopsticks on the edge, you offered him the cup. “Here,” you muttered.
His eyes widened at the gesture and he blew you a kiss, a habit that always erupted your heart even though he practically did that to everyone. You turned away from him, using your hair to hide your now red cheeks. He happily took the cup from your hand, and started eating again. His appetite was as big as his heart.
The road ended, a boardwalk now taking its place as you continued straight down. The sun slowly began to rise, tinting the navy sky with a light orange.
“You know how when you’re younger, and the world just feels like the most amazing place to be?” He asked around his food.
You turned to him and nodded, “That seems like ages ago.”
You thought back to the last few years of school and work. If you two weren’t in class, you were picking up extra shifts to pay for it. And on any spare nights, you both would usually hunch over your books at the library, exchanging oxygen for coffee.
“Tonight was probably one of the most freeing nights since then,” he smiled after swallowing the last of his food. He discarded his second cup in the trash once you reached the end of the pier.
You leaned against the edge, watching as the sun broke the horizon with a swirl of bright colours. You were not entirely sure what to say. The hurt in his voice shattered your heart, then used the broken shards to pierce your soul.
“I have to be honest,” he started when he returned to your side. “I really don’t think it’s worth it.”
You furrowed your brows, “What’s not worth it?”
“All this work and effort,” he shrugged. “I mean we pay money we don’t have to learn crap we don’t care about, and then suffer four years of intense exams, where half a percentage difference decides whether or not we graduate.”
You let his words sink in. The lingering ache in your back from constant work was enough proof of your unappreciated hard work. You rolled your shoulders back, slightly easing the tension. You turned to him and thought of the work he had to put in as a pre-med student, suppressing a shudder. “But, I thought you wanted to be a doctor.”
He sighed, the wind playing with his pink hair again. “I thought I did too. And I can’t believe it took me four years to finally realize that,” he drily chuckled. “I freaking hate studying medicine. I don’t want it as bad as the others.”
You shook your head, fully turning your body to face him. “Wait, wait, when I met you, you were talking about going overseas. You said it was your dream to travel.”
“Yeah, I said it was my dream to travel, but I never mentioned anything about traveling as a doctor.” Another sigh escaped his lips and you wished it was replaced with one of his fits of laughter. All you wanted to do was hug him until he felt better.
“Do you remember that first day?” you asked, a small smile playing on your lips.
He fought one of his own as he spared you a sidelong glare. “You never let me forget it,” he mumbled.
“You came in a freaking suit, Jin. No one freaking forgets it.”
He shook his head, a little laugh bubbling from his lips. “That was one time!” he repeated for what feels like the hundredth time.
Your eyes locked and the two of you gave in, doubling over. Jin’s squeaky laugh was undeniably contagious, tugging on your lips even when I really don’t want it to. A blessing during awkward situations, and a curse during serious ones. You would never forget your great-aunt’s funeral. You barely knew the woman, forever feeling guilty since you never laughed harder in your life than you did on that day.
You tried to stop laughing long enough to tease, “You’re so lucky I came into your life. I’m the reason you didn’t wear one the next day.”
He playfully nudged your shoulder, leaning in further as he laughed harder.
Your laughter slowly died out after a couple more minutes. As you wiped away a tear, Jin stared at you, a little smirk hovering over his lips.
You wondered if he was trying to kill you with that look. “What?” You asked, forcing yourself to stare at anything but his handsome face and those dangerous lips.
He gave into that smirk, a gleam of gratitude sparkling in his eyes. “It’s just that you’re right,” he uttered, voice barely above a whisper, and you found yourself straining your ears to hear his next words over the crashing waves. “I really am lucky to have you in my life, and if it means I get to meet you all over again, I would definitely wear a sparkly pink suit to class everyday.”
Your heart was at your throat, twisting and turning with every breath, and your gut was flipping ten times over, unsettling the nerves that shot up and down your spine. You wanted to say something, anything, but your voice was lost and words didn’t seem to be forming right now.
He gulped, probably taking your hesitance as a rejection. That’s what you thought anyway before he stepped closer, resting his hands on your waist. You let yours move to his broad shoulders, even though you weren’t entirely sure it was what he wanted.
You didn’t have a spare chance to mentally debate it as his lips gently pressed against yours. Captured in the essence of him, you felt the aching of your back, of your useless hard work drift away. All you can think about was how his lips were just as soft as they look.
And though he pulled away all too soon, you felt as though nothing could touch you, like the two of you could stay together, forever under pink skies.