The Story of Us | Jikook/Kookmin

35 | Butterfly Sensation

Jimin POV.

The same day of our meeting with the Bangtan hyungs, we complete the Running Man deliveries and we are finally ready to return to Busan. It's heartbreaking to have to leave the hyungs behind, but there is not much we can do with Jung-Hyun constantly harassing Jungkook and myself to return so that their family has a talk with us.

It's nerve-wrecking... It's going to be my first time meeting his parents years after, and our first meeting is going to be about a television-broadcasted kiss. Jungkook and I always do things the other way round, and it's always going to remain that way, isn't it? Sigh. 

The same morning of the night we are returning, Hobi hyung spontaneously pulls me aside and invites me out for a walk. It's bewildering at first, because there is some privacy to his words, but of course I don't hesitate in agreeing. And so we go for a walk at Han River, at the same spot we used to visit with all the guys when we were in our trainee days, and it's nostalgic to be here again with him.

- Jungkook went to therapy for two years after you left. -He reveals once we are over the chit-chat. It's unexpected of him to say such thing, and I can already feel my insides tickle with anxiety. -We didn't let him leave our side because he seemed mentally incapable of functioning on his own, so we kept him near us at least a year before he decided to finally move out to his own place.

I feel sick. I know that our separation took a toll on Jungkook, but he never talks about it. All I see is a strong and achieved man, and that kind of makes it easier to oversee the hard work it must have taken for him to get where he is. I feel really sick. And selfish - everything revolved around me since we met, and I didn't really invest my curiosity and care in making sure he was completely over the hardships.

He says he is okay... but what did he go through?

- I just wanted to let you know as your friend and your hyung Jimin-ah. -Hoseok hyung smiles a little shyly, not used to making his position of an older brother obvious when it comes to me. -I mean not because I'm blaming you about the past, I understand where you're coming from. -He looks down like he is reading over the words he is speaking out loud. -Just... Jungkook has recovered well now and found a middle ground with his parents. They are good, I mean, I hope they will still be... -He slides his eyes up to meet mine. -Although it's not a guarantee.

The sea sing-songs of silence as we stare at each other.

He is worried about Jungkook's parents reaction of him being with me.

- Jung-Hyun is okay with the two of us being together... -I say with a guilty voice, feeling my body shrink subconsciously. -But he hasn't said much about his parents... I just assumed that they'd be okay with it, since Jungkook didn't mention anything negative about them.

- He loves you so much. -Hobi hyung smiles fondly, tapping my shoulder. -He'd erase the rest of the world for you.

It's getting hard to carry the emotional load.

- That's not what I want from him though, hyung. -I reply shaking my head. -That's what caused problems three years ago, because he erased the rest of my world too, my family too... It was my fault as well in a way for not explaining to him where I stood in terms of my feelings and courage for him, but everything was really dramatic! It took me a long time to forgive him.

- Yeah. -Hobi hyung presses his lips together, stilling his worried expression as I collect myself.

- He is grown up in many ways. -I find myself smiling weakly. I'm so proud of my baby for countless amount of things. -But I guess somethings just... stay the same.