The Run-In

Shock and Seduction

Jimin's car is amazing.

It's so luxurious inside, with deep and sloping seats that mold perfectly around my body. The outside is fancy too, a stark white with a red and black stripe down the center. It has that "new car smell", fresh and pristine, mixed with Jimin's fruity scent. He obviously likes to keep himself and his possessions squeaky clean and well cared for. Apparently it's a convertible too, and he rolls down the roof while driving me to the university.

"This is a really nice car." I breathe. The wind feels smooth and cool blowing against my face. Jimin doesn't reply, so I look at his face. Surprisingly, he's scowling.

"I know. It must have cost my parents a fortune, but they insisted on buying it for me anyway. I refused to let them give it to me in spite of their urges, and I had started to believe that they had finally surrendered to me." A sad smile ghosts his lips as he reminisces. "I found it waiting for me in the driveway the day I was leaving for Seattle."

"You miss them, don't you?" I ask, although it's not a question. He clearly misses his parents.

"Very much." he confesses, confirming my assumptions. His grip tightens on the leather steering wheel.

I don't respond immediately; I don't need to. I know what it's like to feel home sick, and it's not fun.

"Always remember that one day you will pull into their driveway with this car, and you will feel like the happiest person on Earth when you get to see them again. If you focus on that, then being away from them doesn't seem as hard anymore."

He turns his head to face me. He's no longer scowling, but his usual grin isn't plastered across his face.

"It sounds like you've had some experience with that." he muses, staring into my eyes.

"Y-yeah..." I reply shakily. I mess with my jacket zipper between my fingers, using it as a distraction from the nostalgic and melancholy emotions running through me.

"I just wish my family and I weren't so far apart. It's scary being far away from your family, alone."

A look of understanding crosses over Jimin's pensive expression. "I know exactly how you feel. I left my family thousands of miles away in Busan."

"Busan as in Busan, South Korea?" I gasp, astonished.

"Yeah." breezes Jimin as if his country of origin is obvious. "I'm South-Korean."

I'd figured he was Korean, of course, but I thought he was Korean-American. Well, I guess he is now.

"The distance from here to my hometown pales in comparison to yours!" I cry. "You're on a completely different continent and I'm just in a different state!"

"Where's your hometown?" Jimin asks, disregarding my complaints.

"Ludington, Michigan." I reply sheepishly. I thought that that distance was huge, but it's minuscule compared to his.

"Even the smallest distance feels like a billion miles when you're away from the ones you love." Jimin sighs sagaciously.

I marvel at his wise words, then at him. This young man travelled all the way from South Korea to America alone, and he's had to learn an entirely new language (which he speaks fluently, of course). Plus he's amiable, sweet, and kind.

"There's more to you than meets the eye." I remark. And a lot meets the eye.

"Of course." he replies slyly, his puppy-like side resurfacing. "I'm Park Jimin, gosh darn it!"

JIMIN'S POV:

Serris giggles at my response. I love how her face lights up when laughs; the way her turquoise eyes twinkle, the way her nose crinkles and her cheeks flush pink.