The Cop From Busan || •PJM• ✔️

9.

☂ Chapter 9 ☂

One Year Ago

"Daddy, where's mommy?"

The question broke Jimin's heart every time June said it. The little boy had beautiful, hopeful eyes. They were as hopeful as Jimin pretended to be whenever Irene walked in.

Jimin didn't reply for longer than he intended. The outside air was too tempting to avoid. He basked in it and let the moon cover him in its light. The soft grass they sat on brushed by his hands. It smelled like it had been cut an hour ago.

"Look," Jimin said, pointing to the stars. They were in the Dongbaek Park, which wasn't too far from their favorite beach. The lack of light pollution led to brightness littering the night sky. "What do you see, bud?"

"Space!"

June giggled. He had an eye smile like Jimin's. Maybe he was a Park after all.

"And why does my boy like space, hm?"

"I wanna be an astronaut!" June cheered.

The question about Irene fizzled away, not that Jimin wanted to answer.

As they sat outside, breathing in the fresh air, Jimin had his phone next to him. He was awaiting the phone call that would tell him Irene was ready to see him for the last time.

Jimin leaned June's head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around the young boy's back. He pointed at the star above them. It was glowing more intensely than any of the others. For Jimin, that star was his Irene. His June bug.

"Always look at the stars," Jimin said while rubbing June's arm. "Soon, one might be a little brighter than the others. Look for that one and let it guide you home."

June nodded and buried his body against Jimin's. Jimin cherished the warmth, but selfishness crept through his veins. Tears stormed inside his eyes, but he blinked them away for sake of June. He turned his head toward the horizon and watched the splash of colors. The navy blue filled up the night, and the stars shimmered. He saw the one that shined brighter than the others then tore his gaze away before he could analyze what it meant.

"Daddy," June's tired voice asked. He yawned before continuing. "Why are we here? Mommy will worry."

The grass was short and slid right by his sweatpants thanks to a tiny breeze that brushed through the air. There were no clouds to hide the moon, and the clearing they were in lacked any characteristics that stood out. Unless you were looking at the sky, it was unremarkable. Behind them there were benches and sidewalks that led to the center of the park, but Jimin went out of his way to find an isolated spot where the two could sit and stargaze.

Despite having the reason in his head, Jimin still didn't know how to answer June.

Jimin cleared his throat. "Did I ever tell you about the time your mother hid a butterfly in my lunchbox?"

June seemed to forget he ever had a question. "No."

"Well, one day, your mother and I were at work, hunting down bad guys." Jimin paused to lower his voice to a whisper. "We were doing a stakeout, and I pulled out my Hulk lunchbox and opened it only for..."

Jimin tickled June.

"Bam!"

"Ahh!" June yelped, but he descended into a fit of laughter as Jimin tickled him.

Jimin settled down and grinned. It didn't reach his eyes. "She stole my lunchbox earlier in the day and hunted down a butterfly just so she could scare me with it. To this day, I'm still scared of butterflies."