Abyss - Kim Seokjin AU Fanfiction

Chapter 16

The summer they graduated, Ela and Jin found themselves sitting once again beside each other over a dinner that they had been invited to. The host, one of Dr. Young's patients had this house designed by Jin's father. It was a rather drab occasion, only speaking about the features of the house and medical things that she could not pay attention to. Jin on the other hand tried his best to be polite and listen. Once in a while, he would look at Ela and tilt his head sideways, motioning for her to listen. 

Ela was half asleep. She had taken three pills in the morning instead of her vitamins. She often did this before a drive. She hated being fully awake and watching the scenery turn into blurred horizontal lines from the back seat of the car. Motion sickness was something she developed along with her anxiety. She feared falling off the edge of a cliff and into the ocean. She much preferred the flat, even land. This time she had no choice. 

When the dinner was over, they dispersed into different areas of the house. She found herself sitting by the balcony, alone. The sun was disappearing over the horizon as blackbirds flew past the sun half-way setting. This was not a good sign. Often, others would say that disaster was coming. It was one of those old wives tales that the elders liked to speak of to spook children. Ela wanted to be a bird. They were free and flew wherever they wanted to. They could simply be. 

She leaned back, putting the weight of her body on her arms that inclined her. As the sea breeze blew, she took in a breath.  It was full of both relief and anxiety. Was it going to be different after school? Without her pattern she would be lost. Finding a job was the next step, but what if it took long to do that? Her parents had not gotten back to her when she asked to move to Europe for six months. She had mentioned this to them multiple times in the last year but they always brushed it off. Was she to just settle for a life here? 

One of her arms buckled causing her to fall on the woven plastic sun chair. She braced for impact, but what she collided with was not the uneven wicker-like surface, but an arm. Jin had caught her just in time. How long had he been there? She did not know. But she was grateful for his presence. 

As her medicine fully kicked in, she allowed herself to close her eyes and let sleep take her. She did not have time to ponder how bad she looked in front of Jin. Ela moved, closing the space between them. And Jin, he held her there still, rocking his body to the music the waves created against the rocks below the cliff. 

He shielded her from the sharp breeze, biting his skin instead of hers. Ela moved slightly, cradling her head on the base of his neck. Her lips were cold against his skin, and he could feel her say something, crackled skin grazing his neck, saying words he could not understand. Jin did his best to stay calm, as he held her there. 

"Hmm?" He hummed a question near her forehead. 

"Thank you." She repeated a little loudly, her head still where it was. 

Anything for you. He wanted to say. Instead, he only managed to nod and muster a quiet, "No problem." What stopped him? You could say it was fear, or that he was overcome and he simply wanted to be in that moment with her, without asking for anything in return. 

As they both sat there, quiet, within peace and under streams of burning light, he wondered to himself, will she remember this tomorrow? Jin pushed the thought out of his mind. He would ask for more, one day. Now, he was content to have her here, in his arms at last. 

* * * * * * * 

The Big River was one that divided the city from its lower and upper regions. In the old days, The upper region was the poorer of the two. A lot of families who had old wealth settled on the warmer more fertile land of the lower side. Today, the divide was eradicated. Along the banks were shops and restaurants where a lot of people gathered. On a Friday like today, the streets were packed.