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Blind date.
The two words that Jungkook had been hearing over and over from the moment he got home for the winter break. It was like an earworm—constantly echoing through his mind even after his parents had finally stopped repeating it.
Jungkook hated the topic. He didn't need a girlfriend, heck, he wasn't even good at talking to girls. It was difficult enough just trying to get through his finals, and he didn't need another thing to worry about. So when his parents brought up inviting Soljin over for a Christmas dinner with their family, he called for backup from his best friend.
Jimin and Jungkook had been the best of friends since they were kids in elementary school, and Jungkook figures that if anyone could understand his current situation, it'd be Jimin.
And if anyone could convincingly pretend to be his significant other, it'd also be Jimin.
"Where are you going?" Jungkook's mom asked as he opened the front door.
"Heading out with my girlfriend!" He lied through his teeth, running outside.
"What makes you think this plan will work?" Jimin questioned as they walked along the street. "It seems kind of flimsy considering how I've already known your parents for so long."
"We'll make it work. Or just enough so that they get off my back about this whole dating thing. I just hate how they keep nagging me about it," Jungkook huffed, kicking a rock out of his way. "Like, before it used to be about how I needed to improve my math grades, and then when I did that, it would be applying for university, and then now that that's done, it seems like they're not going to stop about this. Well, until I actually get a girlfriend or something."
"I mean, you could just get a girlfriend." Jimin raised an eyebrow at him.
Jungkook wrinkled his nose, adverse to the idea. "But why do you need someone else to be happy? My life is already good enough as it is—well, or bad enough, depending on how you look at it—and I just find no reason to need a girlfriend."
Jimin chuckled. "That's true, but don't you ever feel lonely? Like, especially during the holidays where everywhere you go, there seems to be couples there, acting all lovey-dovey."
Jungkook thought a bit. Sure, it might be nice to have someone to do all those things with, but to him, it wasn't much different from what he already had. Jimin was the one who usually went with him to all of those places anyway. Whether it was the movies, trendy new restaurants that they wanted to try, or just hanging out at one of their houses on special holidays.
"But I have you. Why would I need a girlfriend when I already have you?" Jungkook asked, mouth setting into a frown. "You're pretty much the same thing already."
"Thanks, now I'm Jungkook's girlfriend." His best friend gave him a boring look. "That may be true, but a significant other shouldn't just be a romantic partner. What makes the best relationships is usually having someone who's like a best friend." He paused, thinking about the rest. "Besides, you can do much more with your significant other than with your best friend."
"Like what?"
"Like..." Jimin trailed off. "A lot of things." A hint of a smile appeared at the edge of his lips. "If you want, I-I guess I could show you? Since we're proceeding with your plan anyway."
"Mhm, yeah sure." Jungkook replied easily. "We're definitely going to need to practice if we want to be convincing the next time you meet them."
The next time they headed out was to the Christmas Market, and it was time to put the plan into action.
Strings of unlit lights were strung across the street, in between old-style lanterns that would glow when it got dark. Wooden stalls lined up at the sides of the small street, each vendor selling something different and unique from the rest. It was still fairly empty as it was the afternoon, but Jungkook was sure that this place would come to life as soon as nightfall hit.
"It's so cold." Jungkook blew air at his hands, trying to warm them up.
Jimin reached out, "Here, give me your hand."
Jungkook expected them to be warm, to provide some much needed heat to defrost his own. But he was completely wrong.
"Yah, what the—?" He tried pulling his hands back from Jimin's below-freezing ones, but the shorter boy kept them trapped tightly. "You baited me." He glared at his best friend.
But when Jimin intertwined their fingers, he completely stilled in surprise.
The brunette gave him a cheeky smile. "And that's what holding hands is like."
"Tch, it might've been nicer if your hands weren't so cold." Jungkook snorted, shoving his hands back into his coat pockets.
Oh, right. It was just a part of the fake dating thing.
Soon, it started getting dark very fast, the sun disappearing without a trace. Only a faint blue at the edges were reminiscent of the light in the sky. There were no streaks of orange and yellow, bleeding together across the horizon like there'd been in days not long ago.
As he'd expected, the night market started bustling to life. The strings of Christmas lights strung across the streets lit up, casting a radiant glow to the market. It was almost magical, like something one would see in a movie, like the memories of early Christmases as a child. They sparkled, twinkling against the reflections of eyes as they would light up with wonder and excitement. They danced in Jimin's eyes, creating a kind of gleam in them that had him staring for a bit.
"Look over there!" Jimin's soft voice called. Jungkook looked over to where the shorter boy was pointing.
Over by the end of the street was a giant Christmas tree, all decorated with shiny ornaments. The different coloured lights flickered and faded, pigments changing every few seconds. It was simply beautiful.
He also noticed the amount of couples nearby, taking intimate-looking pictures of themselves. A lot of them were kissing or touching in some way, and he quickly looked away from them, flashing a smile at Jimin instead.
"Um, I mean...we could..." Jungkook started.
"Do you want to take a picture?" Jimin asked, pulling out his phone. "Smile!" He beamed at the screen, pulling Jungkook closer to him.
Jungkook grinned, showing a toothy smile as he bent just slightly to shift even closer to Jimin.Their faces were pressed closely together, practically cheek to cheek, with the faint shadows of the light casted against their skin.
What he didn't expect, was that at the last minute, Jimin's lips lightly brushed his cheek.
A... kiss?
"And that's what taking a couple selfie is like." A bubbly laugh released from his mouth and Jungkook was left staring at him, cheeks reddening.
"How was that?" Jimin asked him later. "That was what, two reasons already, right?"
"Mhm," Jungkook mumbled. It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all, since it was Jimin.
He might've enjoyed it more than he let on.
"Welcome to Tea Palace!" A tall and handsome boy greeted from behind the counter. His name tag that said "Taehyung", and a green apron were the only indication that he worked here instead of at some sort of modelling agency. "Have you guys heard about our buy one, get one free deal?"
Jungkook shook his head slightly, glancing over at the sign beside the counter.
"We have a Christmas special for couples—if you share a kiss under our mistletoe over there," he pointed to the corner of the store where there was some mistletoe hanging above a giant photo frame, "then post it on social media and tag us in it, then you can get two bubble teas for the price of one."
"Oh, cool." Jimin nodded. He gave Jungkook a sideways glance, a hint of a mischievous smirk apparent on his face.
"Jimin—we can just—"
"Do you want to do it, baby?"
He should've known what the brunette was thinking.
"I—what—um, sure...I mean if you want to," Jungkook managed to squeak. He was sure that his face was as red as a tomato by now, and the barista boy's intense gaze didn't help at all.
Jimin took his hand, leading him over to the corner. Taehyung followed along behind them, taking the phone from Jimin when he passed it to him to take the picture.
It'll just be like earlier. No big deal. Calm down, Jeon!
"Okay, whenever you're ready!" Taehyung glanced at them from behind the camera, a few feet away from where they were behind the giant photo frame.
Jimin smiled, pulling Jungkook slightly closer. Sure, he'd been this close to his best friend before, but it was never in this kind of situation, and seeing him in this different kind of light made his heart race. He could see the way Jimin's eyes sparkled as they focused only on him, the contour of his cheeks, and the curve of his pink lips.
"Just close your eyes and relax." Jimin whispered and gave the smallest of nods, reassuringly. Jungkook slowly closed his eyes as he felt hands gently cup his face, and then there was the warmth of Jimin's breath against his lips.
Wait where do I put my hands? Am I supposed to bend down lower…? What if I mess it up and Jimin hates me forever and we don't even get our free bubble tea?
Jungkook decided he couldn't have this failing. They were pretending to be a couple today after all, so this had better be believable. As Jimin's lips slowly met with his own, he tilted his head just slightly more to the right and put his hands around the smaller boy's waist, lightly pulling him in until there was no space between them anymore.
The kiss was soft, sweet like the smell of sugar floating in the air, tender like the whisper of a faint summer breeze. Despite how confident he seemed earlier, Jimin's touch seemed almost hesitant—a bit shyer with the way his fingertips brushed against Jungkook's cheeks, and how tentatively his plush lips glided so easily into his own.
It ended even before he realized he'd been expecting more, but it left him breathless nonetheless. Jimin's cheeks were dusted with pink and when he opened his eyes and met Jungkook's, he quickly looked away with the slightest smile.
When Jungkook finally glanced over at their cameraman, Taehyung was standing there was his mouth wide open in a shocked stance.
"Um, so did you get that?" Jimin asked quietly. That seemed to jerk barista-boy out of his thoughts and he quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes of course." He handed the phone back to Jimin. "That was so romantic," he said under his breath a little too loudly.
Jimin ducked away from Jungkook's stare but found his hand and laced their fingers together.
"I posted it." He chuckled, showing Taehyung his phone screen. Jungkook peered over to get a look at it too, but Jimin quickly closed it before he could see it properly. Nonetheless, even the vague image of them kissing made his heart skip a beat.
"That's cute," Taehyung stopped to cough a few times, "um, so you get to choose anything from on the menu! Just pay the price of the more expensive one."
Jungkook chose something on autopilot mode while his mind was constantly drifting back to the kiss scene.
"Well that was a success. Look at all the benefits that couples get." Jimin elbowed him teasingly as they left the store. "I guess we were quite convincing."
When he later checked his social media, Jungkook did see that Jimin posted a picture of the two of them, but it wasn't of them kissing, nor was the caption a single red heart like he thought he previously saw.
Jungkook eyed the ice cautiously as soon as they got within proximity of the rink. It was Jimin's idea to go skating, and if it were anyone else, Jungkook would've rejected the thought right away. But there were only a few days of winter break left, and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his bestie.
"Come on, we'll be even better than them." Jimin gestured towards all the couples skating on the ice.
The ice looked quite crowded with people skating all around: from families to small children, to...couples. Lots of couples. They seemed to all be laughing, with the bright smiles on their faces. Jungkook was just glad he couldn't hear them under the booming of the music being played nearby.
However, he had a more urgent problem at the moment, since many people meant many blades. And many blades meant many chances of getting into some sort of accident with them. What if—
"Come on, the ice is perfect right now." Jimin beckoned from where he stood at the edge of the rink, waving at Jungkook, who was still firmly planted on the bench.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," he muttered, shakily standing up and trying not to wobble from side to side on the blades.
"You'll be fine; you learn so quickly." Jimin smiled reassuringly. "Besides, I'll catch you if you fall."
He simply gave the other a wary glance and then he was slowly putting his left skate down onto the ice. He made sure it wouldn't slide out from underneath him before attempting to shift his weight and lift his right foot.
And that's when it happened.
He definitely foresaw this coming, but couldn't do anything to stop it as both of his feet started sliding forward and he couldn't shift his weight fast enough, and then he was falling, falling—
"You okay?" Jimin's hands were tight around his waist, attempting to hold Jungkook up from where he stood behind him. "That was a close one."
Heart still pounding from almost having fallen, he got his next scare when he tried to look at Jimin's expression, and discovers that their faces were mere centimeters apart.
He quickly turns away. "Y-yeah. Real close. Thanks."
Jimin helps him back on his feet and Jungkook finds himself missing the warmth of his body already.
"Okay, so it's just like rollerblading, but you get more freedom on the ice without friction." Jimin skates in front of him then does a half spin, turning around to face him. "Keep all your weight on one foot, then as you push off, shift all your weight to the gliding foot."
Jungkook did as he said, trying to take small steps forward, but never staying on one foot for too long. Jimin continues skating backwards, always staying in front of Jungkook with his arms slightly outstretched, as if ready to catch him at any moment if he falls.
"You still have to lift your foot, you know," the brunette teased with the amusement clear on his face.
"Shut up," Jungkook muttered. He lifted his foot just a bit higher this time after he pushed off, just to show him.
But somehow something didn't work again.
Jimin was there in an instant, catching him as he tripped and stumbled forward.
"Don't laugh." He shot a dull look at the ground, already knowing the kind of expression the shorter boy would be wearing.
"Do you want me to pull you along? Some people find it easier to just glide first to get used to the feeling of skates." Jimin pulled him up, but didn't let go of his hands this time.
His hands were barely warmer than Jungkook's, but they were comforting all the same. Jimin started skating backwards, his feet going in alternating C-shaped movements while he constantly checked over his shoulder for other skaters. At first they were just slowly weaving their way in between the crowd, but then Jimin started speeding up, hands tightening their grip on Jungkook's.
"Will you stop putting your feet like that? It makes you a thousand times heavier to drag." Jimin chuckled. "Well, on the bright side, it looks like you've figured out how to stop."
"This is how you stop?" Jungkook tried exaggerating the slight triangle shape his feet were forming, which did not go as expected.
The front of his skates collided into each other, managing to trip him, which caused him to tumble straight into Jimin. To make matters worse, when Jimin tried to hold him up, that made their skates crash together and it knocked the both of them down.
And that's how Jimin ended up splayed on top of him, head resting on his chest. Jungkook couldn't really feel the pain from falling or the iciness under his thick jacket, not when there was the warmth of Jimin there.
"Sorry..." He tried to lift his head a bit to look at the brunette. "Are you okay?"
"Jungkook, are you okay?" Jimin met his eyes. "Did you hit your head? How's your tailbone? Gosh, I should get off of you. It must hurt enough already."
Jimin made a move to carefully climb over him, but just got pulled down again.
"No, wait," Jungkook murmured. Brushing his thumb over Jimin's bottom lip, he hesitated just a second before bringing his mouth down and sealing them over the other's.
Jimin's lips were cold but the warmness of his mouth made up for it. The warmth of everything about him, especially when his cheeks heated up even more.
"...maybe you did hit your head." Jimin murmured shyly when they pulled apart, looking away as he rolled off of him.
"Mhm," Jungkook hummed, sitting up on the ice. Now that Jimin's warmth was gone, he could feel the frigid surface beneath his butt. But nothing seemed to explain why kissing Jimin had just felt so right, even if it was all a part of their plan. "Maybe..."
"Get up," a hand reached out for him, and if it weren't for how cold his butt was, he would be tempted to pull Jimin back down again. He took Jimin's hand and put one blade down on the ice, before carefully shifting his weight and setting the other one down.
One hand tightened around his, guiding him forward slowly, not letting go for the rest of the time they spent on the ice.
Jungkook can't say he regretted the decision to go skating, despite having fallen all too many times. There was no complaining when Jimin's hand stayed glued to his the whole day, even its coldness providing warmth in some way.
The square was crowded by the time they arrived close to midnight. People were bundled up and huddled together in the below freezing temperatures, swaying just slightly as they watched the performances on stage. The music was loud and Jungkook could feel the bass vibrate through his whole body.
With Jimin's hand in his, they weaved their way through the sea of people and found a spot closer to the center of the square.
"There are only ten minutes left until we ring in the New Year! Do you have your wishes and resolutions ready?" the MC on stage announced. "We're going to have one last performance before we start the countdown. For this one, everyone get your phones out and let's light up the night together!"
From the large screen at the front, he could see the crowd of people with their phone flashlights on, waving them slowly with the beat of the soft ballad playing in the background. It was beautiful, like what he imagined fireflies to look like, and the glow that was created together gave a sense of unity.
Jungkook snuck a peek at Jimin sideways, finding him focusing in awe at all the lights, mouth slightly agape and eyes unblinking. He looked peaceful, and almost ethereal with the dots of light casted across his face. Maybe he was staring for too long—since the more you stare at things, the more different they tend to look—but for a second, Jimin's features just seemed to glow. The slope of his nose, his sharp chin, the slight puff of his eyelids…when had they become so unfamiliar? He almost looked like a completely different person from when they first met when they were just kids, and trying to figure out what had changed made Jungkook's heart pound faster.
"Make a wish," Jimin whispered right when the clock struck, indicating that midnight had arrived. Then there were fireworks blasting loudly, multitudes of colour exploding into the sky, lighting up the night until their dying streaks dissolved into nothingness.
That's what it would've looked like, but Jungkook hadn't been paying attention to any of that. He didn't care about missing it, because for him, all of his senses were focused on one thing.
For him, there was only the person in front of him existing in the world at this moment. There was only Jimin's soft mouth meeting his, the coldness of the air between them seemingly melting as it changed into the warmness of their breath. There was the way Jimin wrapped his arms around Jungkook's neck, making him feel just as close as without the fluffiness of their jackets. And there were Jimin's lips, just slightly chapped but meshing against his so delicately all the same, as if every small movement was deliberate, sweetly and tenderly. It made his head spin, as if he was falling again back on that skating rink. Like he was falling into Jimin's arms again, and Jungkook knew that he'd be there to catch him.
It was Jimin who broke the kiss first to come up for air, though they never moved an inch farther than they had to.
"And this is what a New Year's kiss is like," Jimin whispered, a small but brilliant smile lighting up his whole face. There was a faint blush across his cheeks, perhaps from being outside in the cold for too long, perhaps from other reasons, and Jungkook wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.
Jungkook lowered his head just slightly and pressed his lips against Jimin's once more, just as softly. He felt Jimin melt into him, lips parting, and so he slowly deepened the kiss until his senses were filled with nothing but Jimin Jimin Jimin.
They'd walked out of the square, hand in hand with only the blissfulness stretching the silence between them. The holiday lights seemed to become fuzzy dots blending together, casting a soft glow in every direction. It made Jimin's brown hair look even more beautiful, and Jungkook gently brushed the dancing snowflakes out of it with his fingers.
"What did you wish for?" Jungkook asked. His heart was still racing, mind spinning, and he still felt the dopamine in his system. It was like seeing the world through a different coloured glass, some pretty kind of glass that simultaneously blurred the world yet gave a sense of clarity.
"Hmm," Jimin looked away, "for you to finally get a girlfriend this year."
The glass shattered. "W-what?"
"It's about time you get one."
"Jimin, really?" Jungkook frowned.
The shorter boy looked back with a smirk on his face. "Chill. They say that if you reveal your wish, it won't come true." He paused. "So, I guess that's kind of unfortunate for you."
Jungkook stayed silent, trying to avoid glaring at his best friend by looking away. Whatever magical moment they had was now broken, and he couldn't help but want to go back to where they were.
Jimin ran a thumb over Jungkook's bottom lip, tilting his jaw down to make him look at him. "Why, what did you wish for?"
That you didn't have to leave for school tomorrow.
That maybe time could freeze, and we'd be able to stay just like this.
That we would be together forever.
"Nothing."
Days went by and people were going back to their normal, daily lives. Jungkook was back at school, starting a new term of subjects that he didn't care too much about, talking to people he didn't really want to know about.
It felt strangely silent in his life, almost uncomfortably empty. Lonely. Jimin had moved back to his dorm on his university campus, and the messages between them quickly grew sparse. Although it wouldn't be long before they saw each other again for the Lunar New Year, Jungkook felt like something was off, and decided to call him one day.
Three rings was what it took before Jimin finally picked up the phone. Jungkook sighed in relief when he did, wanting to dive straight into the endless conversations they used to have not long ago.
"Hey," he said quietly, though unable to stop the slight lilt of excitement in his voice.
"Hey." Jimin replied, sounding distant like he wasn't quite there. It didn't quite feel right. Jungkook could feel his pulse speed up even more, and it wasn't from hearing Jimin's voice this time, but the twist in his gut that he got.
"How's school going?" he asked quickly, wanting to shove this feeling of uncertainty down the drain. "I noticed you hadn't replied to my messages so you must be drowning in work."
"Mhm," Jimin hummed. "It's okay I guess."
Jungkook picked up right where he left off, not allowing the time for the silences of doubt to start creeping in between the cracks. "Did you join any new clubs? Our anime club over here just picked up again and we're having this event in celebration of that new skating anime—"
"Jungkook." The voice at the other end sounded heavy and Jungkook finally stopped his ramble.
"Jimin?"
"Listen, I'm really busy at the moment with all this work." There was something about Jimin's voice that made Jungkook's stomach drop.
"O-oh." Though it didn't sound like the truth to him, Jungkook couldn't do anything but agree. His palms were becoming clammy and his heart felt heavy. Swallowing his worry, he tried to put on a more casual tone, still trying to pretend as if everything was the same. "Is everything okay?"
Jimin was silent for a while, before finally sighing. "Jungkook... I think it'd be best if we gave each other some space." He then paused, seemingly holding a breath. And Jungkook wanted him to stop there, to somehow freeze time and stop what was probably inevitable now, from happening. "I-I told myself that New Year's Eve was going to be the last time…Jungkook, it's a new year; it's a new chance to make a change, to show the world a new you."
Jungkook pulled out from his thoughts when a single droplet of salt hit his tongue, and that's when he realized there were tears blurring his vision and slipping down his face already.
"...and maybe it'll be the year you finally get a girlfriend."
He didn't even hear the rest, if Jimin had said anything else at all, before he was throwing his phone across the room. There was probably a thud or a crash when it landed, but he couldn't hear it over the sound of his own uncontrollable sobbing. He didn't even remember another time when he'd cried this much, but his tear ducts must've had a mind of their own because they just wouldn't stop.
And it hurt.
It hurt so much.
He thought back to the New Year's kiss that night, under the fireworks. Was that what it was—a goodbye kiss? One so sweet and tender, filled with just a glimmer of all of the unsaid words and hidden feelings that had always lingered just beneath the surface. Was that why it was so different—because he knew it would be the last?
If anyone would've asked him just a few weeks ago, if it was possible to feel so much, he would've told them to stop bullshitting because it's definitely not possible.
No, it wasn't possible until this mess happened. It's like everything he'd experienced within the past few weeks was all leading up to this moment, to the moment where it'd all be suddenly ripped away from him.
If he'd imagined all of the reasons stated in Jimin's voice before, now it was a brutal awakening in his own voice:
And this is what a breakup feels like.
That was it. The final reason why he should get a girlfriend—because now, he didn't even have Jimin.
When his parents had asked to meet his girlfriend, in a spur of sadness, Jungkook had told them everything. How he had lied about having a girlfriend, how he only did it because he hadn't wanted to meet this Soljin person. He hadn't mentioned anything about his plan with Jimin, because what was the point of that plan anyway? It had failed miserably and caused their friendship to fall apart just like that. The things he felt while "dating" Jimin had been wonderful, but to lose him entirely because of it…
He told his parents that he was agreeing to the blind date with Soljin. Jungkook had told himself that he should at least try this out, that it would be good for him. But deep inside he knew it was just a buffer to temporarily save him from the thoughts constantly eating away at him.
Anything to feel slightly less lonely, right?
It was at a casual cafe where they were supposed to meet, a small and cozy place that had the smell of espresso clinging to the air. The abstract art on the wall almost reminded him of the coffee shop on campus that he used to go to with Jimin...
"Hey, Soljin," Jungkook greeted quietly, when he spotted her, forcing a tiny smile on his face so that he doesn't seem rude when all he wanted to do was to run and hide from the world.
Remember, I'm supposed to want this. He already showed me enough reasons why I should want this.
"Hi, Jungkook," Soljin sat down in the seat across from him, "it's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too."
They got to sip their drinks in silence, neither one of them looking straight at the other.
"So um—"
"I have—"
Jungkook stopped, gesturing for her to go first.
"So I know that our parents actually set us up to meet here today," she spun her cup in small circles hesitantly, "but I actually already have... someone I love." Her last words were quiet and if there had been the slightest of noise in the room, he might not have heard.
"O-oh." Jungkook didn't know if he should be relieved that he didn't have to bother with this whole blind date thing, or if he should be disappointed that he will, once again, be unsuccessful in the field of dating.
Soljin grimaced, taking another sip of her drink. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but I thought it would be best if we could be straight up with each other."
"Wait, then do your parents know about…" Jungkook gestured vaguely, unable to find the words to describe what kind of weird situation they were in at the moment.
Her shoulders slightly slouched at his words, and she let out a small sigh. "Well, I broke up with him a while ago, and when my parents found out, they wanted to help me move on." She chuckled bitterly. "I guess you could say it hasn't been working out very well."
"Because you still love him?"
"Yeah. I'm regretting the decision every day."
Jungkook frowned. "Then why did you do it?"
"He was moving out of the country for an internship, and I knew that the long-distance thing doesn't usually work out well." She pursed her lips in thought. "I thought it was for the best."
"Maybe sometimes it's more important to follow your heart than your mind." Jungkook said thoughtfully.
She sighed. "I know that now. At the time I was just thinking about how terrible it'd be without him beside me. There'd be no one to tease and argue with, no one to talk about your deepest thoughts and worries with, no one to do everything with and to enjoy life with." She gazed out the window. "And I wasn't sure I was ready to face the world alone. But here I am, after all."
Jungkook's mind trailed off, picturing all of the things as she spoke. It was like the time when Jimin had asked him why he didn't need a girlfriend, and he had replied saying that he only needed his best friend. Because they were practically the same thing anyway.
Because he couldn't imagine doing any of those things with someone who wasn't Jimin. And that's when he realized.
Jimin didn't give him a list of reasons he should get a girlfriend at all.
Jimin gave him a list of reasons why he was already in love with him. A list of reasons why he doesn't need anyone else but Jimin, of why Jimin was the only person he wanted to be with.
"Jungkook, you have that look on your face." Soljin commented, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"I-I- sorry."
"No, don't be. You seemed to be thinking about something really hard. It must've been important."
"I—yeah. There's this guy," he paused, thinking carefully about what to say next, "and we were really close. As in, best friends. But then somewhere along the way, it seemed like maybe we had something there wasn't a label for anymore. And it was great. But then…" he stopped, gesturing at nothing once again.
"Sometimes I think people are almost like charges. They may attract each other, but then when they get too close, sometimes they'll end up repelling each other."
"That sounds depressing." Jungkook sighed, starting to slowly move his cup around in circles too.
"But the thing is, when the charges repel, they'll always get far enough to be attracted to each other again."
"What are you saying?" He tried to read her expression.
"That there might be a second chance."
A second chance. The words echoed through his mind and with it, the imagery of Jimin's smile, his fluffy hair, his melodic giggle. There was his gentle touch, how he would always put Jungkook first, and the way he would bend over when laughing hard at something stupid Jungkook said.
"Thanks, Soljin... I think I know what you're talking about now," he said awkwardly, suddenly stopping the swirling of his cup. It felt like a conclusion, since clearly their blind "date" wasn't going to work out the way it was expected to go. He stood up. "You know, you were wrong about one thing."
"What's that?"
"You said you weren't ready to be alone in the world. But I think you are. Because you got here by choice."
Soljin nodded, gave him a sad smile in return. "But you're not here by choice. Go get him back before it's too late."
Jungkook knew where to find him. In a few hours, he'd successfully made the trek over to Jimin's university, and was standing outside of his dorm room.
He'd come too far just to back out of it now. He'd have to get him back. He needed his best friend. No, not just any best friend. Jimin was someone far too significant to him to be just a best friend now. And it took him this long to realize it.
Tentatively, he knocked on the door. The sound of his knuckles against the thick wood seemed to echo through the hall in the dense silence surrounding him.
No answer.
"Jimin?" He knocked again, a little harder this time. "Jimin, it's me, open up...please." The sentence ended in a whisper as if his voice was stuck in his throat.
Still, there was no answer.
Jungkook sighed, slumping against the door. If Jimin wasn't home, he would wait until he was. If he wasn't answering the door, then Jungkook would wait until he had to leave the house for class or something.
He'd wait for him.
This was waiting for the one.
He's not sure how much time had passed, when the door finally swung open, and startled him out of his mind. He's not sure if he'd been sleeping or simply awake, lost in the realms of his own thoughts. Perhaps he'd been drifting somewhere in between.
"Jungkook?" a shaky voice cut through the silence. "W-what are you doing here?"
Jungkook watched as the familiar figure stood by the door, eyes still blinking away the sleep that had been there. There was something else about those eyes, though, that he almost didn't recognize Jimin. They were a bit puffy and the redness around the rims was clear, and there was some sort of cloudiness that wasn't as simple as sleepiness.
Jimin looked sad.
"I-I had to talk to you." Jungkook stood up. A little too quickly, for he was stumbling straight into the shorter boy.
"Wh—" Jimin caught him, but Jungkook proceeded to pull him into a tight hug.
"Jimin, you can't do this to me." He tightened his grip even more around the other's waist, as if trying to pull them infinitely closer. As if a gesture like that might make everything right again and that even the universe would consider them as one. "I've missed you so much. Don't leave me."
"Jungkook." As he pulled back, there was a slight softening in his eyes, revealing the Jimin that Jungkook knew best. There was the fondness in the depths again, but it was different in that he had never seen Jimin so vulnerable.
Maybe he had never quite noticed the walls that Jimin had put up all this time. How despite being his best friend, how much did he truly even know about him? How so much of their friendship as of late had been about helping Jungkook find himself that he hadn't even noticed what Jimin had been feeling, had been hiding. But now it seemed like they were all crashing down.
And he wished that he'd seen all the signs earlier, because it was only now that he was completely sure. Sure that he wasn't the only one who wanted this.
"Jungkook." A sad smile. "I-I..." He trailed off, eyes flickering away from the taller boy's face. "I can't do this."
"I know, Jimin. You've already given you enough reasons."
A flash of pain through those soulful eyes.
"But those reasons did nothing except for showing me that I'm in love with you, okay?" Jungkook grabbed Jimin's hand, holding onto it and lacing their fingers together. "Remember this? You promised to never let go."
"And this," he brushed his other thumb lightly over Jimin's bottom lip, "this was just ours. And this." He leaned in slowly and gently pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips.
"Jimin, you've given me all the reasons to why I don't need a girlfriend. Even from the beginning, that's what I said, but it took me until now to realize it. It's not just a best friend that I need. I just need you. Just you, damn it, it's always been you."
"You're so cheesy, Jeon," he muttered, glancing up at Jungkook through his lashes, a pale pink ghosting his cheeks.
"But you love it?" He felt his heart skip a beat, a glimmer of hope slowly coming back.
Jimin smiled softly. "Yeah...I do."
And that was all they needed for the distance between them to diminish once again, as if it was never there at all.
"Hey Mom, Dad," Jungkook started quietly. "We have some news to break to you guys, actually."
"Oh, how are things between you two? Is everything going well?" Jungkook's mother gave a nod of acknowledgement as she continued stirring the soup.
"Actually, that's not what we wanted to talk about..." He paused. "Well—"
Soljin cut him off. "We wanted to tell you guys that we actually haven't been dating each other, because both of us are already in love with other people." When Jungkook met her eyes, she gave him a reassuring smile. Confident and brilliant.
"What are you talking about?" Jungkook's father peeped into the living room.
"When we met for the first time, we both knew that it wasn't going to work between us. Because we both already had people that we love." Soljin answered.
"But you said that you didn't really have a girlfriend, Jungkook?"
"I wanted to tell you guys. I'm," he took a deep breath, "actually dating Jimin."
There seemed to be a silence in the room and he didn't even know he was holding his breath, awaiting the dreaded reactions of his parents.
"Jimin? As in that sweet boy you've known all these years? Your best friend, Jimin?" His mother turned off the stove and walked over to the living room, where everyone else was.
"Y-yeah. Park Jimin." Jungkook pulled Jimin over from where he'd been standing by the doorway. He flashed a smile and gave a small wave at Jungkook's parents.
"Oh honey, you shouldn't be afraid of telling us. We told you that we will support you no matter what, as long as you're happy! You weren't really thinking that we'd want you and Soljin to get married or something, right?" His mother paused, still smiling. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I mean, if you wanted to."
Soljin laughed. "That's okay, I'm good."
"Besides, Jimin is a really nice kid. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from him." His father grinned, reaching over to pat Jungkook on the back.
Jungkook rolled his eyes. "Sure, he's so nice," he muttered under his breath.
"Yah, what are you talking about?" Jimin elbowed him lightly, shooting him a dull look that contradicted the slight smirk playing at his lips.
Dinner went by smoothly, with conversation easy and relaxed between everyone. Jungkook's parents were happy for him, Soljin and Hoseok were back together and content with their lives. Jimin and Jungkook were in their normal bickering state. It was almost difficult to imagine being anything else, for this just felt so natural, as if this was the only way they could be.
Fingers intertwined and knees brushing, he knew that Jimin gave him enough reasons.
Reasons to love him.