tendae ‖ jungrene

18

Not talking to the person you love and care about is hard. Especially if you used to talk to that person on a regular basis, but now, somehow, neither of the two have the guts to start a conversation first. Even if it is eating them both from the inside, dying to know if the other one is feeling well, or if he eats well, had a nice sleep. Or simply if he misses her, too...

Joohyun has been out of her mind ever since she let Jungkook go without clearing up what she really meant that day. She was literally feeling how Jungkook distanced himself from her. Every time Seokjin talked to him on the phone or when they skyped, he immediately found a reason to hang up, as soon as his round, doe eyes spotted Joohyun.

When Joohyun's birthday was around the corner, she didn't want to do anything for the first time. Usually, she would gather her friends and go from club to club until one of them passed out or was arrested for overnight. So after her classes had ended, she sneaked her way out of the campus, trying to avoid any of her friends, in case they would want to drag her somewhere to celebrate. Just when she thought she made it save to the bus station, she felt her hoodie being pulled, which made her stumble backward. "Where do you think you are going?"

With a pout, Joohyun turned around and faced Seokjin who obviously seemed pissed. "Seokjin, please just let me go home, I don't feel like doing or seeing anyone today," the girl got his hands off of her hoodie, fixing it before her grip around her bag tightened. The boy sighed and only shook his head. "Joo, how long are you going to avoid us? Especially me? Like there is no reason to be this cold to me. I know it's because of Jungkook why you have been so down for the last month, but seriously, don't push your friends away. Let's talk about it instead of avoiding it, hm?" 

The girl nodded slowly, feeling guilty that she abandoned her friends, especially her best friend, Seokjin. They walked into a small café, taking their seats after they ordered two coffees and a little chocolate cake with strawberries, enough for the two. Joohyun fiddled with her fingers on the table, sneaking glances around the café, while Seokjin was busy to eye his best friend, obviously struggling with the whole situation.

The waiter came with the coffee, and the cake, one candle lighting on top of it. He carefully placed the beverages and the cake in front of them, Joohyun's eyes immediately filling with tears. "Happy Birthday," Seokjin said with a small smile, watching how Joohyun closed her eyes and clasped her hands together to make a wish. A tear rolled down her cheek when she opened her eyes again to blow out the candle. "I actually was not sure whether I should do this or not, but I can't stand seeing two of the most important people in my life suffer," the boy sighed, carefully pushing an envelope across the table to hand it to the birthday girl.

Joohyun wiped her tears and looked at her friend, confused about what he was talking about. She took the envelope and carefully opened it. Her eyes widened when she realized that the paper inside was a plane ticket to New York. "Seokjin, I-"

"No, Joohyun, please don't say anything and just listen," he took a deep breath, shifting in his seat before he continued speaking, "I know this is all my fault in the first place. I said things in the heat of the moment which caused you two apart. I might not have been the reason for you two breaking apart, but I was one of the reasons it cracked. I was mad when I found out about you two, I just didn't want to believe that my little baby brother is growing up. And that my best friend is in love with him. To the day, I don't know why I have been such a bitch to you two. Instead of supporting you two, helping you how to handle this relationship, I only caused the opposite."

Joohyun could see how sincere Seokjin was, it was rare to see him this serious, so she kept silent and listened, occasionally wiping the tears off that rolled down her cheeks.

"Whenever I talk to Jungkook, I can feel how pressured he is. I can feel that he is not happy with what he is doing. Even though New York was his dream, he lost the sparkle, the light that made him want to do this in the first place. Lost in my own prejudice and anger, I didn't notice that I was not only hurting my best friend, but also my own flesh and blood. It seems like Jungkook lost his will to actually do what he is doing. One of his friends even mailed me, telling me that he sometimes skips classes." Seokjin took a shaky breath, looking up to meet Joohyun's eyes. 

"I am sorry, Joohyun. I tore you two apart. So please accept this ticket, and visit him. Go see him, and show him that nothing can come between you two. Please bring my Jungkook back to life."

The girl was now crying harder, not caring about the glances they got from the other customers. She stood up and walked around the table to sit next to Seokjin before she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "It's not your fault. It's all mine. I was selfish, I didn't want to see reality and ran away from our responsibilities. I could have worked it out if I only had the courage to talk to Jungkook properly. And you now gave me that chance," she parted from him, eyes still teary, "For the last month, I could feel how Jungkook slipped away from me, but now you gave me the chance to go see him and clear this mess that I caused. Thank you so much Seokjin. This is the best birthday present anyone ever gave me. You gave me back my happiness, you gave me back my Jungkook."

Seokjin chuckled, also close to tears, so he quickly cleared his throat. "Come on, let's go pack up your stuff. I will drive you to the airport. I bet there is someone on the other side of the globe counting down to your birthday on his own." The two friends laughed and made their way to Joohyun's house, only packing the most necessary before they headed to Incheon.

When Joohyun parted from Seokjin after she hugged him, what felt like an eternity, she bid her goodbye and walked to the counter when her plane was called for boarding. Her heart was beating crazily at the thought of seeing Jungkook again after a whole month of zero interactions. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, pumped with hope and a thrill of anticipation.