because i remember | jjk

twenty five

jieun slowly started coming out of the shell that was the bakery kitchen as she noticed jungkook coming in less and less.

"dunno," soyeon said when she had asked her one night. "maybe he's busy?"

nonetheless, jieun felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders as the doe-eyed boy showed himself less often.

but there was always a strange feeling lurking in the depths her chest that she couldn't let go of.

that she didn't want to let go of.

yes, she knew that she was the only one out of the two of them who remembered everything they went through-- in fact, it was impossible to ever forget those memories-- but no matter how much it hurt to watch him live his normal life without her, and no matter how many tears she had shed while watching him fall in love with another person, she wouldn't trade what they had for anything in the world.

they were the only things she had left to remind herself that what they had was genuine and real in all aspects, and even if he didn't realize it, she would take her memories to the grave with her because that's how much he meant to her.

without her knowing, she had already accepted that he wouldn't remember her.

as long as he was living happily, she would be happy.

her happiness was his happiness.

and that's all she could've ever asked for.

◇ ◇ ◇

it was towards the end of jieun's shift. the sun had gone down hours ago as the rain took its place. the last of the customers had begun to leave, leaving the bakery in a quiet ambience.

the jingling bells of the door opening caught jieun's attention.

"welcome!"

she recognized the figure that walked through the opening and maintained a smile.

"can i help you?" she asked.

"not really," he responded, closing his umbrella. "i'm waiting for someone."

"soyeon left a while ago." jieun said, simultaneously saying goodbye to the last customer that left. "and we're closing soon."

jungkook cast his eyes downward. "i didn't know she left already."

"can i stay here for a little bit?" he asked, pointing towards the rain outside the window. "just until the rain clears up."

jieun nodded. "alright."

jungkook positioned himself in a booth in the far corner of the room and played on his phone.

jieun forced her eyes away from the man and walked to the coffee machine.

"here." she said, placing an iced beverage in front of him. she knew how much he liked drinking cold drinks in cold weather.

"oh, but i didn't ask for this." jungkook said, a bit flustered. 

"it's on me. don't worry about it." she sat across from him and drink her own hot chocolate drink while staring at the droplets of water the rain left on the window pane.

"thank you." he said. "how did you know this is the drink i like? it's perfectly made as well."

jieun smiled. she stared into his brown eyes and saw her reflection in them, and for a second, she indulged in the fact that she was the only he saw for that short period of time.

she took another sip of her beverage and shrugged.

"because i remember."