𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙳 𝙸𝙽 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴

𓆩♡𓆪; 11

As usual, after work, Taehyung came back home with a pair of tickets for a horror movie. I was so excited—I love horror movies—and we went out together. The theater was dimly lit, the air heavy with anticipation. But as we settled into our seats, something about the whole vibe brought back memories of Jimin.

I couldn't help but think about the time Jimin, Jungkook, and I went to see a horror movie together. Jimin had been so adorable, freaking out at every jump scare, clinging to me or hiding behind his hands. It had been such a fun night, and the memory made me smile.

Before I knew it, I was laughing, lost in that recollection. Taehyung turned to me, puzzled. "Why are you laughing?" he asked. "This is a horror movie, not a comedy."

I snapped out of it, realizing that my laughter must have seemed out of place. "Oh, nothing," I replied, trying to brush it off. "Just... I remembered something funny from before."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "During a horror movie?"

"Yeah," I said with a chuckle, "It's just that Jimin gets scared so easily. He practically jumped out of his seat the last time we watched one of these. I couldn't help but think of that."

Taehyung smiled faintly, but there was something in his eyes—a shadow of discomfort. "You really care about him, don't you?" he asked, his tone soft but serious.

His question about whether I cared about Jimin made me stop smiling, and I started to wonder. The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. After a moment, I replied, "Of course, I don't care about him... because we weren't friends, nor do I love him." My voice felt strange, almost like it wasn't my own, as if I was trying to convince myself more than him.

Taehyung just smiled softly and turned his attention back to the movie screen. But I could feel a shift within me, a small crack in the façade I had been trying so hard to maintain. My thoughts swirled, and I was suddenly unsure of what I truly felt. After the movie, we both got into the car and began driving back home. The streets of Italy were lit with the soft glow of streetlights, and the night was peaceful, but my mind was anything but. As we passed through a quiet neighborhood, I noticed a little girl walking hand in hand with her parents. They were laughing, their happiness so palpable that it stirred something deep inside me.

A pang of longing hit me out of nowhere, and I realized how much I missed my parents. I hadn't called them once since we arrived in Italy, too caught up in everything else. The guilt of it gnawed at me, and my thoughts grew heavier. Taehyung must have noticed the change in my mood because he reached over and gently held my hand. His touch was warm, reassuring, but it also reminded me of how distant I had become from everything that once mattered to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his eyes briefly glancing at me before focusing back on the road. I nodded, though the truth was far from it. "I just... I miss my parents," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. He squeezed my hand a little tighter, offering comfort in his own quiet way. "You should call them," he suggested, his tone understanding. "They probably miss you too."

"I will," I promised, though a part of me wondered if I would actually do it. It was like the longer I stayed in Italy, the more disconnected I felt from my old life, from who I used to be. We drove the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Taehyung's hand in mine was a steady presence, grounding me even as my thoughts continued to drift. When we finally arrived home, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still missing, something I couldn't quite put into words. And as we walked inside, I knew that no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, the truth was that Jimin and everything I had left behind weren't as easily forgotten as I wanted them to be.