Should Be You | Jikook ✔️

Chapter 17

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the empty schoolyard. The once-bustling halls of the school were now quiet, with the distant echoes of laughter and chatter fading into the evening. Inside the classroom, only three people remained: Jimin, Jungwoo, and Ahrin.

Jimin sat at his desk, organizing papers and finishing up the last of his work for the day. The classroom was unusually silent, save for the soft murmur of conversation between Jungwoo and Ahrin, who were seated together at a small table near the window. The two children were engrossed in an art project, their heads bent close as they shared a set of colored pencils. Ahrin was drawing a picture of her parents, while Jungwoo was doodling superheroes, his face scrunched up in concentration.

Jimin couldn't help but smile as he watched them. There was something so innocent, so pure, about the way they interacted. They had both been through so much, yet here they were, finding comfort in each other's company. It warmed his heart to see them like this, even if it also made him feel a pang of sadness.

Jungwoo was supposed to have been picked up by his babysitter earlier, but the boy had begged her to stay. “Please, can’t I just stay a little longer?” he had asked, his big eyes pleading. The babysitter, though kind, had a prior commitment and couldn’t stay, but Jimin had quickly stepped in, offering to take Jungwoo home after he finished his work. The babysitter, relieved, had agreed, leaving Jungwoo in Jimin’s care.

Now, as Jimin glanced up from his desk to look at the two children again, he felt a strange, overwhelming sense of contentment. The scene before him was one he had only ever imagined in fleeting daydreams—two children, looking to him as a figure of safety and care. He had never thought he would find himself in this position, especially after everything he had been through.

For a moment, he allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy. What if this was his life? What if he had children of his own to love and care for? He had once dreamed of having three kids—a little family of his own. The thought had filled him with hope back then, a dream he had shared with his past lover, Dohyun.

But that was before everything had gone wrong.

The memory of Dohyun was still a painful one, even after all these years. Dohyun had been his lover, a man with a smile that could light up the darkest room and a heart so full of passion and warmth. They had met during Jimin’s senior year of college, just as he was on the cusp of stepping into the real world. Their relationship had blossomed quickly, igniting a flame that burned bright and fierce. They had made plans for the future, talked about getting married, and having children. Jimin had been so sure that Dohyun was the one—the person he would spend the rest of his life with.

But that illusion shattered when Dohyun’s true nature came to light.

Jimin’s chest tightened as he recalled the first time he had discovered Dohyun’s betrayal. It had been a chance encounter—he had gone to surprise Dohyun at his apartment one evening, only to find him with someone else. The shock had hit him like a freight train, leaving him reeling with disbelief. Dohyun had been quick to apologize, swearing it had meant nothing, that it was just a mistake. Foolishly, Jimin had believed him. He had wanted so desperately to believe that their love could overcome anything, that Dohyun’s promises of change were genuine.

But it hadn’t been just one mistake. It hadn’t even been two. Three times Dohyun had broken his trust, each time with a different excuse, each time pulling Jimin deeper into a cycle of heartbreak and manipulation. The final straw had come when Jimin realized that Dohyun wasn’t sorry for the pain he caused—he was only sorry that he had been caught. That realization had shattered whatever remnants of love Jimin had clung to, leaving him with nothing but a broken heart and shattered dreams.