WHEN THE SUN SETS [JJK]

07

PART SEVEN
OF RINKO & JEONGGUK'S STORY

It takes time for Rinko to adjust to the adolescent lights she bought on sale at the flee market despite already having enough lamps to fill up an entire dark room with light again. She's a collector of a lot of things. Letters from colleges she got a reply from but only to realize that she wasn't qualified enough to be given the spot of acceptance. Rinko keeps such things to remind her of the failed attempts at life she previously got through, but her most prized posessions are flowers from events of any kind. It doesn't matter if it's dead, alive or withering like the leaves of Autumn because every petal is beautiful and what keeps them all special are the stories that always came along. This is why it doesn't take a fortune teller to know why Rinko bought flowers on her first date with Jeongguk. He's a special one.

"Roses look better on the table, but sunflowers give it the whole finishing touch especially since it's summer. What do you think, Rinnie?" Her friend of ten years asks through the speaker phone. It's been months since they've last spoken to each other but once they started talking again, it's like they never even stopped to begin with.

"It's your wedding. Do whatever makes you happy even if it means choosing sunflowers over roses just to make it seem like a summer romance all over again. If you're happy, I'm happy. My Sunbyul has to shine like the sun on her wedding day."

"Speaking of summer romances. Tell me more about that Jeongguk boy. Is he a good kisser?"

"Sunnie!" Rinko blushes ever so slightly as she listens to her friend laugh on the other side of the line.

"What about Jimin?" I don't know.

"Haven't seen him since last night. Jeongguk dropped me off but I think he went back to bring Jimin home. He's usually not a drinker especially since there's nothing to celebrate, but Taehyung was quite drunk too so I really don't. . .know."

"That sounds just like the Park Jimin we grew up with. He hasn't changed a single bit. He's still the fragile Jiminie admiring Rinnie from afar."

"What do you mean admi—Jeongguk? What brings you here at this hour?"

"Pretty Boy has appeared," Sunbyul whispers quietly enough only for Rinko to hear, but fortunately, Jeongguk heard it too.

"Why do you have your door wide open at 5 AM in the morning? What if a robber came in and stole something? What if you got hurt? What if—" Jeongguk mutters.

"Why are you so worried about me?" Rinko watches as Jeongguk grabs her small, warm hands and squeezes them tight with the assurance that he cares—so much for her.

"I care about you. There. Is that a good enough answer?"

Yes. Rinko thinks to herself. 'Yes, Jeon Jeongguk. You make my heart flutter so much that it's ready to bursty into flames. Yes, I can't help but smile whenever your name crosses my mind in times of need and when it doesn't, I fall into some kind of sadness I can't explain. Yes, this is what you can do to me. Your impact. The way you touch the most fragile parts of my body, my cold hands, the small of my back.'

"Yes," Rinko smiles and soon, the whole world falls in all the right places. Right here, right now and to a place so far away it hasn't even been named yet.

here's a filler chapter for y'all because i've been gone for over a month & i just can't thank you enough for the love on the new part where i asked for all of your opinions !!! thank you for all the positive feedback !!