INK~~ SKZ FF

Chapter 42

Throwing on one of his many black hoodies, Changbin was in a rush to leave their dorms. He checked himself in the bathroom mirror before walking over to the door. There were piles of their shoes that were thrown everywhere. He searched for a pair of his own and slipped them on his feet. He rushed out the door, not forgetting to have a mask pulled over his face.

He was on his way to meet Jieun. It had been several weeks since she had her surgery. Her progress with her therapy was going well as she was starting to speak a little bit. He hadn't been able to see her for a couple of weeks from his busy schedule. He's barely had time to talk with her, but today he had a break and he needed to meet with Jieun.

Stray Kids was very busy as their comeback had just happened. Back Door was gaining a lot of success over the week that it had been out and they've already won a couple of music show awards for it. With their previous release of God's Menu, they've gained a lot more followers of new fans.

But that wasn't his focus right now. He previously texted her to meet him in a park in order for them to have a private conversation together. He had tons of important things he wanted to talk to her about.

Making his way to the bus stop, he waited a few minutes before one of the buses came around the corner. He quickly hopped on and paid the small fee before inching his way to the back of the bus. Luckily, the park wasn't too far away, so he didn't have to stay on for too long.

Changbin stared out the window, watching all the people walking around on the sidewalk. His mind was racing with what he was going to tell Jieun once they met up. He was bouncing his legs to relieve his thoughts as he was just wanting to get them out already.

He had been thinking a lot these past couple of days. His members were starting to get worried about the constant look on his face when he would get lost in thought. They would be constantly checking in with him as Changbin spilled out the reason for his behavior.

A buzz from his phone interrupted his thoughts as he glanced down at his phone. A text from Chan came in.

Don't worry! You got this!

He couldn't help but smile a little from those words. It didn't help the tickling feeling of his stomach as he got closer to his destination.

The bus came to a halt right at his stop. He popped up and miggled through the seats to the door. He thanked the driver as he stepped off. The trees and birds from the park were in sight. He hoped the Jieun wasn't waiting for too long if she was already there.

As he came closer to the park, he glanced around for her familiar face. Finally, she was sitting at one of the benches as she was looking around in search of him.

She seemed calm. Her gaze traveled over the few people and couples who were enjoying to fresh view of the park. She had on a lovely cream colored sweater to pair with her bright blue jeans. Her her wasn't very styled, but it added to her relaxed and comforting look. It was what Changbin liked about her. She wasn't like every other girl who valued looks over themselves. She was perfect.

"Jieun!" he called out. It caught her attention and she showed a wide smile as she stood up and walked over to join him.

"What was it you needed to talk to me about?" Jieun said. Her voice had improved so much since the last time they'd talked. There was still a slight raspiness to it, but it sounded like sweet honey to Changbin's ears.

"Well, I first know it has been hard to meet up and see one another. With our comeback happening, it has been a very hectic schedule. I really wanted to find time to meet up and talk with you for a while now. I just didn't have the time until now."

He tried to explain the whole situation. There was tons of prerecording of music shows that they had before they came back. Even after, they are scheduled for variety shows, their talker videos, and even lives for their fans. They were packed up with stuff.

"I'll try to text and call as much as I can," Changbin promised.

"It is fine. I understand," Jieun reassured.

The air grew silent around them. They didn't know what to say to one another. Changbin couldn't help but stare at the breeze sweeping through her black hair. It was almost like time was slowing down as he took in all of her features. Her bright brown eyes, sweet smile, and lushish skin shined in the sunlight.

No matter if the conversation had ended for a second, he still found the time that they spent together to be lovely. Just being in her presence was enough for him to feel satisfied.

"Jieun," Changbin said, breaking the silence between them. "How was your recovery? You sound amazing now."

"It is going quite well. The therapist couldn't believe how fast I was improving with every session. I think it was my determination that allowed me to get so far in less time."

"That's great. I was shocked hearing you talk when I first got here."

"Sometimes it gets scratchy when I talk for long periods of time, but I still take some medication to help relieve the pain."

Changbin was starting to get lost in the orbs of her eyes. They were shining as bright as the sun as she talked. Something about her was giving off a radiating aura.

"Changbin, I have something to tell you."

They moved and sat down on one of the benches that nobody was around. It gave them perfect privacy as Jieun moved her hand and pulled down his mask a little to see most of his face.

He was a little shocked by her actions, but couldn't help to give her a stupid smile. It hit his chest a little when she smiled back at him, but her tender hands never slipped away from his mask. She sat there for a second as they just stared at one another, getting lost in their eye contact.

She seemed a little hesitant with what she was about to say, but he wasn't going to pressure her into anything. He just sat there and waited for the words to come out of her mouth.

"I love you."

That is the end of this story. I had tons of fun writing this story and I'm starting on the second one. I hope I can start publishing it within the next couple of months. I like to get a bit ahead with writing it so I have plenty of content to publish whenever I need a quick break. So look forward to the continuation of Jieun and Changbin's story. I looked at your suggestions and will definitely see about putting them into the next story.

While this story is now over, I do have a second account that I have running which will have a much different side of stories. They are still K-pop related but are much darker compared to things I've released here. If you are interested, I have a story getting ready to be published called "Taste" on @skz_madness_ . Updates for that will be starting soon but the intro has been published if you would like to check it out.

Thank you once again for liking this story. I will be working hard to try and put out more things for you all in the future. Feel free to leave your thoughts or suggestions in the comments. I do read every single one of them. I hope you all have an amazing day!