#Promise

A Good Day

I tossed and turned on my bed that night. Several different things were running through my mind. The fun time I spent with Tae was priceless. I've never had such fun with any of the few friends I have. There was not a dull moment with him. I smiled as I reminisce all of these. Then, the image of Jimin's expression when he saw us at the hotel, bothered me somehow. Was it that, or was it what Tae said before we parted that bothered me more? What did he mean when he said that? I had to force my mind to stop thinking about it. I have to be at work the next day, so I forced myself to sleep.
                   It was a long day at work the next day. I've caught myself spacing out several times during my shift. My legs ached for walking the hallways for meaningless reasons just to keep my mind focused at work. Why am I being like this? Why am I so distracted? Why? Why do my thoughts always end up being of ........Jimin. 
                   Tae had sent me several text messages. I didn't mean to ignore them but I just couldn't reply to him because we are not allowed to use our phones while at work. It would have been a good way to battle my boredom. He also has probably figured out that he shouldn't be bothering me when he knew I was at work. His last message was when he said they were about to start dance practice.
                     I was the happiest person when the end of the shift came. I just felt like I wanted to get out of there and go somewhere and scream. I couldn't explain why there was such heaviness in my heart. Something I have to let out. It is driving me insane.
                     While I was battling with my unfocused mind, I was so surprised to bump into Sejin on my way out of the hospital.
                     " Hey there! What are you doing here? Please don't tell me Jimin got readmitted in the hospital." I said with so much worry.
                     "No. He didn't. I just brought Jimin here for his last physical therapy session. Actually, we had just finished with it but Jimin just wanted to rest a little bit before heading back to the hotel. He's out there by the beach. He said he wanted some fresh air and some sun."
For some reason, I felt like Sejin had indirectly told me to go and check on Jimin.
I went looking for Jimin after saying goodbye to Sejin. It wasn't hard to spot him. Among the handful of people that are lounging around the beach, he was the only one who was fully covered up with the very familiar gray hoodie and sweat pants, which I now understand, is his attempt to not be easily recognized in public. This time, his face was also partially covered with the dark sunglasses that he was wearing. The sight of him made my knees weak.
I quietly approached him and sat down a few inches away from him. He didn't move. He didn't even bother looking my way. He kept on looking straight at the calm ocean in front of us.
"Do you mind if I join you?" I finally said after a minute of silence.
"You might get bored. I'm not as fun as Tae." He replied in a low voice, still not looking my way.
" How'd you know it was me?" I asked.
" I saw you talking to my manager." was his short reply.
" I'm glad to see that you are doing better." I said, trying to keep the conversation going. I feel like any minute now, he will just get up and leave without a word.
"Am I really doing better?" he asked. " But why do I feel like crap? My doctor said I am okay. The tests are all normal. I am not in as much pain as before, but I feel horrible! " he blurted out almost on the verge of crying.
"There's probably something else that is bothering you. Are you homesick maybe? Have you been talking to your family?" I asked trying to comfort him.
He didn't answer. His silence was cutting through me like a sharp knife.
"You didn't even check on me all day yesterday. You totally forgot about me." he finally uttered in a very low voice, almost a whisper. I felt Jimin's word hit me like an arrow. I couldn't speak up right away. Finally, I just decided to not make excuses but just be honest to him.
"I'm sorry. I know I should have. I just got a little busy yesterday." I said apologetically.
" I heard you had a good time yesterday. Tae couldn't stop bragging about it." He then replied.
                            " It is really hard not to have a good time with Tae. You, of all people, should know that." I  said.
                           " I hate to admit it, but you are right." He said hesitantly. Then he fell silent again and started throwing little rocks that he picked up from the sand, on the water.
                           "Come on! " I said, as I stood up and urged him to do the same.
                           " What are we doing? Where are we going? he asked while hesitating to follow me.
                           " The day is too nice to just be sulking here. Today, I will fulfill the promise I made to you! I will show you how pretty our beach is." I cheerfully declared.
                           He looked up at me, stared at me for a few seconds, then smiled. He reached out his hand for me to grab and help him up.
                           We walked side by side by the shore. I was casually telling him some facts about that beach. Some random facts that I've heard from other people too. He listened quietly and would occasionally ask questions about myself. We stopped and watched the sunset together. Almost in sync, we both let out a sigh, that made us both burst out laughing like crazy people.
                       "You know, I wasn't having a good day at work earlier." I said
                        "But now, I feel a lot better." I continued. Jimin looked at me and whispered "Me too."
                         Soon, it got darker and we had to head back to the hospital.
                        "My manager must be going crazy by now, looking for me." Jimin said.
                        "It must be hard being so popular like you guys are. You can't even go out without your manager or security." I said.