He was a rebel, so was I.
But in this lifetime, both of our hands were tied.
Three promises they made to their mothers. The burden to keep them was on their shoulders. Jeon Jungkook and Yoon Haena carried life and love with no choice, enduring what...
I'm used to feeling the weight of your dagger on my neck.
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There was something suffocating about his room. Haena dreaded visiting his house now that Jaena, his mother, wasn't around.
She sat on the edge of the bed while Namjoon was on Jungkook's desk, examining the mysterious note they found in her mother's room, behind the painting Jungkook had made for her.
She and Jungkook were close when they were kids, always playing together with his building blocks, but the time came when they both grew up to be more distant. Although that didn't stop their mothers from forcing them to go out for lunches or dinners together.
She can't pinpoint what or when exactly it happened, but their movie nights ended up with Jungkook hanging out with his friends instead, and Haena calling in for being sleepy. It was one thing to watch their mothers' evergreen friendship, and another to go through all the rituals they had made for every single occasion.
Movie nights, Sunday breakfast, Monday night karaoke, Saturday special outing, Jaena's cooking classes, her mother's monthly family photoshoot, and things she barely kept account of.
Being 9–10 years old, it was fun, but as they both grew up it started becoming a burden. Having to hang out with each other and their families when they would barely talk to each other was nonsense, so they both started dropping out, Jungkook with his friends, and Haena with excuses of homework.
When forced to, they would gather for a meal, but their gazes pierced each other with unfamiliarity and judgment as their forks pierced the steaks. Their mothers constantly brought up the idea of them growing up and marrying their potential partners with the painfully loud undertone that 'you are perfect for each other.'
Haena never batted an eye to that idea, neither did Jungkook. If anything, they both knew their mothers very well. Better to not say a word than try to argue.
As Jungkook was situated on his blue couch, staring at the world through the giant glass window, Haena took a better look at him. He had changed a lot. Ever since Jaena passed away, he had switched off that glittery part of his existence. It was not something people would notice, not if they didn't know him the way Haena did.
Jungkook, with his goals and dreams, was like a lunatic person accelerating through the stop signs. His passion for his work was so big that it overshadowed the shy and introverted side of him. He was like the Sun with his bright flares and burning ambition, but now he was dimly lit like a moon, only reflecting the light back in the sky.
Since she also faced the tragedy of losing someone she loved, she wondered if she changed in any way as well.
"I wonder why this is printed," Namjoon muttered, folding and unfolding the piece of paper, "whose mother left this again?"
"Mine," she answered, slowly making her way to him, bending down to take a look at the note once again.
"She wanted to say something but couldn't because of the cameras," Jungkook explained, not bothering to turn around, eyes reflecting the streetlights coming from the window.
