Our Little World - DahMin

Chapter 06

After one week, Park Jimin missed Kim Dahyun. Despite her words, he was still hopeful that he may be able to see her, so he didn't change his routine and visited the library when he had the chance. She didn't show, but when he missed her he looked at the white hamster attached to his keys. It reignited his hope at every glance.

He knew that, despite him being an idol, he still wanted to have some kind of relationship with Dahyun. It wasn't realistic, and at some point she was going to question why he never took his mask off, but he just wanted to prolong their inevitable parting. If he could have even just one more meeting with her, he'd be okay with that. He wasn't ready to let go of her yet.

After two weeks, Park Jimin still didn't see Kim Dahyun. After a total of 5 visits and no Dahyun, Jimin started wavering. He still wanted to see her, and he still wished that she'd come by, and that's what kept him motivated to keep going to the library. Besides, he needed to finish the book series he'd been working on for the past month. Really. He enjoyed the book series.

He frowned at the thought of not seeing her for a long time, and mentally scolded himself for not asking her for an estimation of when she'd be able to come back. Her image was still clear in his mind, as were her habits and mannerisms, but he regretted not having a picture of her. She was stunning and was constantly blowing him away with her beauty, but he was frustrated that aside from the keychain, he had no tangible evidence that she'd even existed.

After three weeks, Park Jimin began to think that he was a fool. She had explicitly told him that she wasn't going to go to the library anymore. She hadn't played with his feelings, she hadn't told him that she might be there - she had flat out told him that she wasn't going to be there anymore. And so far, she'd been true to her word, but Jimin thought that maybe she would come back because she still wanted to see him, too.

There was no reason for him to have hope that he'd see her again. If anything, she had tried to stop him from doing this - from looking like an idiot. Still, he thought of her and wondered if she was thinking of him, too.

After four weeks, Park Jimin started to wonder if it was one sided. He'd only gone to the library once that week before deciding that he had to put an end to it. Dahyun wasn't going to show. He looked at the scrunchie that Jungkook still wore whenever he had the chance, and wondered what exactly she had said to Jungkook to make him treasure that damn hair accessory so much. Then again, she didn't even have to say anything to get him falling head over heels for her.

Whatever the case, he was relieved that he wouldn't be going to the library anymore. He admitted it. The book series wasn't that good, after all.

After five weeks, Park Jimin was just happy to be spending so much time with the rest of the group. He'd spent so much time being alone at the library, he was relieved when he was able to slowly immerse himself back into the group without much questioning. They went live for their fans a few times and even had a late-night session all together, with the older members drinking. Though he thought Jin and Yoongi were sometimes a little too silly when the drinks came out, he always found himself laughing himself into a stomachache by the end of the night.

Though he had no doubt that everyone noticed that he was showing up more often, Taehyung was the only one who asked about it. Luckily, Taehyung didn't question him when he said that he'd simply lost interest in reading. Taehyung said that he didn't think that reading was Jimin's 'thing.' Jimin agreed.

After six weeks, Park Jimin was so fixated on work again, he didn't have much time to think about Kim Dahyun. Hobi was so busy perfecting Jimin's dance, and he himself was so busy working on his singing that he doesn't have much time to focus his attention on himself, let alone someone else. Still, now and then he looked at the white hamster on his keys, and he felt like he should try one more time. Just one more look at the library shouldn't hurt. He was grateful that his busy schedule kept him from doing that.

With every dance practice came more sore legs and exhaustion. He laid down on the floor and turned his head to look at the white hamster, which appeared to be mocking him with chubby cheeks and a smile that was a little too big. With a huff, he turned away from it.

After seven weeks, Park Jimin was so tired after having worked himself to the bone the week before. He longed for a simple connection, for someone to tell him about good things and give him beautiful smiles. He yearned for small brushes of her small hands, and the soft smell of citrus that wafted into the air every time she flipped her hair. He wondered what Dahyun was up to, and if she'd thought of him at all since the last time they'd seen each other.

He thought about when he was Park Jihyung. He recalled his non-famous alter ego to be a little uncool, always fumbling over his words in front of a pretty girl. But after registering how strange he had acted, he also chuckled at the thought of being awkward in front of any girl at all.

After eight weeks, Park Jimin caved. But instead of going to the library, he went to the park bench that they always sat at. His hopes that he would see Dahyun again were long gone, but at the very least, he could revisit the old memories. He longed to be a normal person, and wondered what kind of life he would've lived if he wasn't an idol. He wondered if he and Dahyun would've met in different circumstances, and if things could've been different between them.

He began thinking that Kim Dahyun was never meant to be anything more than a fond memory. There were so many obstacles for them to overcome, and so many signs that they weren't even meant to become as close as they did. After everything, she was just a pretty girl that captured his heart with little effort. A heartbreaker that came and went as quickly as the wind blew. Now that sounded right to Jimin.

He recalled the night that she left. Her eyes glittered with tears and her fingers wrung together so hard that her knuckles were white. When she closed her eyes and he took off his mask, he gave her plenty of time to open her eyes and look at him. But it appeared that she trusted him a lot, maybe even a little too much, and his mask was back on by the time she looked at him again. It was brief, but for those few moments that he was maskless and sitting in front of her, it was liberating.

Later that night, he took out his keys and looked at the hamster. Despite having gone through a lot, it was still a radiant white. At every glance of the small item, he still felt a surge of hope and a glimmer of longing. With a deep breath and his upper teeth sunken in his bottom lip, he clicked the latch and took off the hamster. He tossed it in his bedside table and flopped onto his bed, using his arm to cover his eyes. It was time for him to let go.

Park Jimin lost track of time, and one day he was sitting in the living room with Namjoon and Taehyung. The latter two played games on their phones while Jimin mindlessly flipped through the channels. Jin was in the kitchen cooking with Hobi to assist. It felt like a calm, albeit a little boring day, when Jungkook came bounding out of his room with loud footsteps and a grin. Wordlessly, he took the seat between Jimin and Namjoon and slipped the remote out of Jimin's hand.

"What are you doing? What's up?" Jimin sat up and didn't even think about arguing with Jungkook. If it came to the two of them wrestling for the remote, he had no doubt that the younger member would win, even with the damn scrunchie tying his hair. Jimin only took a brief glance at it before moving his attention to the TV.

"Just found something interesting on TV," Jungkook's tongue was between his lips as he searched for the appropriate channel. He finally settled on a show called Sixteen, and Namjoon frowned.

"An idol survival show?" Namjoon grimaced. "We should change it. This kind of thing is really hard to watch."

"We can't do that. I want to support my fan," Jungkook spoke with a grin that seemed to brighten the entire room. Before Namjoon could question him, he pointed excitedly at the screen. "Look!"

Jimin tried his best to tune out the other members as he looked on screen. It was a pale girl with shining dark hair, with a unique laugh and a smile that could send him soaring through the clouds. He could recognize her anywhere. 

And so, after almost 13 weeks, Jimin said her name aloud for the first time since they went their own ways.

"Kim Dahyun?"