...And his faithful camera had taken a snap during every miracle that happened.
All except one.
Her.
◽◾◽◾◽
Twenty Polaroids. Two months of memories worth a million lifetimes. Two souls whose fates are intertwined, parts of a whole that is meant to s...
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He didn't come back.
I felt it then, the hollowness, the heart attacks, the pangs of pain and the panic that keeps you from sleeping.
◽◾◽◾◽
The morning began, not with seeing the sunrise, but with informing the instructors about Jungkook's choice to leave for a few days. I stood by Hoseok hyung's and her side as they explained how much they could, while I tried to keep myself from sleeping.
Though she had me reassured that Jungkook would be fine, I couldn't sleep. It had taken all my efforts to keep myself silent as I bore the torturous onslaughts of painful thoughts. How is he? Has he found a place to sleep? Is he safe? And the worst of all: When will he be back? The breeze outside seemed to be howling, the sound intensified by my fear. It made me wonder if Jungkook had a tent or if he only had a blanket to keep him from being cold.
Everything had made me feel like I couldn't stay without him.
It also made me miss my sleep in the morning, when my eyes struggled against my will to find Jungkook. Fortunately, the will won.
The sky was dull, like it too was sulking. The cabin looked lonely. The forest behind the Jungkook's cabin was dark and menacing, feeding my fears. The early morning mist added to everything.
It looked so hopeless. It was a reminder that everyday would be the same without the adorable boy. A reminder I needed. So I took note in the form of the picture.
The instructors immediately replaced our usual tasks with the highest priority at the moment: we would look for the boy in separate groups to cover as much ground as possible.
Hobi hyung, she and I were in the front. As soon as we were told to disperse, we took off, jumping into the dark woods.
“We're coming Jungkookie,” she murmured every now and then. Her eyes were no less tired than mine. She rubbed her eyes from time to time, brushing her unbrushed hair from her face and slapping her cheeks, before hardening her look and taking each stride with much more purpose.
I couldn't stop my legs from searching for ground it hadn't touched yet, just as I couldn't stop my heart from beating painfully in my chest. My mind had a sole thought, my body functioning like a machine. It was like the distress had taken over my system.
The most surprising of all was Hoseok. He was extremely subdue, but I couldn't sense anything from him. He was quiet, his feet gradually dragging behind our frantic ones. He searched without any rush, keeping any words he must have had to himself. Had he truly accepted Jungkook's decision or had he too been transformed due to extreme anxiety?
“I think we should take a break,” he spoke his first words of this search. Of course it would instantly take hold of our attention.
She said, “We need to keep going.” She was panting, but her clenched jaw told otherwise. She wasn't going to stop. Not now. Not ever.
