because i love you | jjk

twenty three

"eunnie! eunnie!" 

ji eun woke up, startled. she winced as the sudden burst of sunlight illuminated the room, harsh on her raw eyes. jungkook shook her awake with all his power.

"what happened?" she said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

jungkook had the biggest smile on his face. ji eun thought his face was going to break from how widely he was smiling.

"look at your poster! i'm back on it! i got back all the contact numbers and photos, too!" jungkook said, tears about to form in his eyes.

ji eun's eyes widened as she grabbed her phone. 

"bts, also known as the bangtan boys, is a seven member south korean boy group formed by big hit entertainment..." her voice drifted off as tears fell from her eyes.

"eunnie! everything's fixed!" he held her in his arms and buried his face in her shoulder.

ji eun hugged him back just as tight. "i'm so glad," she whispered, feeling more tears fall as she held him tighter, knowing this was probably their last hug.

she took in his scent, forever imprinting the scent of mint into her memories.

jungkook released her and wiped her tears. "god, i'm so relived. you're relieved too, right?" he laughed.

ji eun nodded and let out a small smile, but she was internally disagreeing. 

but she guessed it was karma. this is probably what he felt when she did the same thing to him the other day.

she watched as his bunny teeth showed as he smiled widely. wrinkles showed in the corner of his eyes as he smiled so brightly. 

suddenly, ji eun felt a cold breeze, and knew what was about to happen.

she put her hand against his cheek and caressed it for a couple seconds before getting out of bed. 

"eunnie? you okay?" he asked, sensing something weird with her actions.

she didn't respond and felt a sad smile come upon her face. she walked towards her closet and pulled out a familiar black leather jacket from their first date that he gave her during their walk.

"you kept that all this time?" he asked walking up to her and standing next her. 

"of course!" she said, wrapping the jacket around his shoulders.

"just keep it, i have plenty." he said, attempting to take it off.

she held the jacket against his shoulders and shook her head. 

he laughed, putting his arms through the jacket. "okay, okay. whatever you say, ma'm." he saluted her, just like he did on her first date.

she laughed. "at ease, soldier."

ji eun looked behind jungkook and saw taehyung leaning against her bedroom wall, holding a finger to his mouth signalling her to not give him away.

it's happening now, taehyung mouthed, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

ji eun pulled jungkook in for another hug after getting taehyung's warning. 

she pulled away before he could wrap his arms around her.

"eun--" he started, but stopped as everything around the both of them began to turn white. 

jungkook shivered from the sudden cold breeze. 

"w-what's happening?" he said grabbing her hand and pulling her near him.

she took a step away from him, but held his hand carefully with both of hers. 

"i fixed it," she began. "i fixed my mistake."

"what mistake? ji eun, please... what's happening?" he said, close to tears. 

"in order to fix what happened, you have to forget about me," she said, letting a tear slip out.

"what?!" he shouted. "no! how the hell am i supposed to forget about the most important thing in my life?!" jungkook shouted, tears now gliding down his cheeks.

"that's a lie, and you know that!" she retorted. she calmed down and looked him straight in the eyes. "being an idol is the most important thing to you," she said, letting out a sad smile. 

"but, e-eunnie..." he stuttered, not knowing what to do.

"i want the best for you, jungkookie. thank you for everything you've done. you treated me like i was an actual person, unlike anyone else i've known."

"eunnie, stop--" he said, eyes widening as she started fading away.

"thank you for trying your best to maintain this relationship. i should've tried my best, too." 

"eunn--" 

"thank you for loving me. please, remember to be a good person. remember to stay true to your music. remember to always do your best. remember to stay healthy, and not to push yourself too hard. remember to be happy." she smiled, tears dripping onto the floor.

"ji eun!" he sobbed, reaching out to her as she became more transparent.

"remember to forget about me," she said, reaching out for his hand and holding it. he felt how cold her fingers were.

"why did you do this?" he screamed. "i thought you wanted to be with me!" he exhaled a breath of desperation. "you were so happy when i wasn't famous anymore." his tears made a puddle on the floor. he felt his knees losing strength. "why... why... why?!"

he couldn't feel her hands anymore. he only saw her sad smile as she said her last words before fading away completely. 

"because i love you."