Somewhere in Time || A VKook Saga

[Eighty-One]

The trip to Jinhae-gu almost took half a day. Jung-kook did not plan to go there if Sae-ron hadn't convinced him to do so. His idea had been to visit his hometown, Busan, something to cross off his bucket list, to remember all the good memories instead of the bad. But when he tried to recall them, the happiness came with a bitterness that was a tad hard to swallow.

But he's three-quarters-of-a-century old now. He's no longer the spring chicken he once was, although the start of the season might convince him otherwise. Breathing in the scent of freshly mown grass, Jung-kook headed towards the center of the quaint naval town where pink-hued trees lined the streets. It's cherry blossom season after all, and Jinhae, hosting one of the largest festivals in South Korea, was not short of tourists trying to capture the annual event.

The faint aroma of beojkkoch, a mixture of lilac, rose, vanilla and almonds, drew Jung-kook closer to Yeojwacheon Stream, a place that's acutely embedded in his memory. This was where, long, long ago, his lips touched another in a way that two people, being in love, did not seem to have enough. And it's also where their secret unravelled. If it hadn't been for their whimsical decision, Jung-kook thought back, that stolen kiss under a bridge, things probably wouldn't be this way. But there's no time for regrets. He learned this now: the past, as they say, was the past.

And so, Jung-kook looked towards the arch of the bridge and smiled a wistful smile.

"Do you remember when we were young?" A quiet voice asked.

"...."

"We were happy, weren't we?"

"Uh, hmmm...." Jung-kook muttered under his breath, unsure why he would answer his own question.

"Do you know that Cherry Blossoms symbolize renewal?"

This he heard before. But they also represent the fleeting nature of life, their bloom so short-lived, that once you missed it, you had to wait a long time to see them again. Jung-kook tried to stem the tears from forming, but the fond remembrances of what his life would be like with the one he loved, propelled him towards the edge of sadness.

"If I could......"

"If you could what?"

"If only, he's here."

"And if he was, what would you do?"

"I would tell him I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For everything."

"And what's everything?"

"For not standing up to my mother, for failing my daughter, for lying, for being a coward, for not being there when he needed me."

"But you were there."

"Was I?"

"Yes, you're always there in his heart, though he might not know it."

"I wish that's true. I don't deserve...."

"What you should do, is forgive yourself. Only then, you can give happiness another chance."

"It's easy to say, but difficult to do."

"Doesn't hurt to try. And you're too old to be afraid."

"Who says I'm old? And why am I talking to myself?"

"You aren't."