23: Love is not a project

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"Tell who what?", Jimin said as I saw him all confused.

He really doesn't know.

"Oh nothing", I said and he just laughs and says, "You're crazy you know that."

I just nervously smile as he ruffles my hair then he tells me, "Now hurry up, we still got to go to school silly."

I just nodded and he said, "I'll wait for you downstairs."

I got dressed and smiled as I opened my closet because I was met with the sight of Jimin's hoodies at the side.

I was tempted to wear them but i decided to go for the usual look, skinny jeans, a loode white shirt and my rotting old red converse that I wear so often that the soles begin to be uncleanable.

I hurriedly packed my bag as I got dressed and I immediately went downstairs to my parents who were of course, absorbed by the news on tv and Jimin waiting for me at the kitchen counter.

Eating away all the kimchi fried rice and egg that was supposed to be for the two of us. I tapped his shoulder lightly and he immediately gulped his food and said, "Oh, Jiyeon you want some food?"

I looked at the plate and saw barely anything left so I just chuckled and said, "Nah, it's okay, you can finish it."

He smiled to the point that his eyes were squinted and his cheeks were so squishy.

He gladly ate the remaining then he washed his plate. He was all set so I said, "Eomma, Appa, we're going to go ahead."

They just nodded as they continued to watch the news.

We left the house and I really has so many questions in my mind so I asked Jimin, "Hey so did we ever stumble upon some flyer that led us to this guy with chocolate that would make us attractive like a few days ago after we got rejected?"

Jimin looked at me with the most confused look on his face and he said, "Jiyeon? Did you hit your head or something? Did you forget that it was only yesterday that both of us got rejected."

"Also, there were no flyers around when we walked home, we never visited a guy with magic chocolate, we just went home and watched Netflix", Jimin explained.

I was choking tears back realizing that all those events were genuinely just a dream.

"You're being weird Jiyeon, get a grip of yourself", he said. Jimin then, for the first time, went ahead of me to school.

I watched his footsteps move faster than mine as I began to see the school.

I sighed and felt my heart sink when I watched him walk away from me.

I hesitantly went to school and when I did arrive, Jimin didn't talk to me.

Classes breezed by and he had a blast having long conversations with Naeun who was now his "friend" even after she rejected him.

I sighed and Seokjin kept on asking me all day as to why Jimin wasn't talking to me and why was I acting strange.

I didn't have the heart to tell him about these things that happened to me tyat felt so real.

What was going on?

The school day eventually ended and I watched as Jimin continued to talk to Naeun ans they seemed so happy with each other.

I couldn't take it anymore so I pulled Jimin aside and he said, "What the hell Jiyeon!"

"What do you mean what the hell? Why aren't you talking to me?!", I shouted.

Naeun then butt in and said, "Hey, we can settle arguments in a calmer manner."

"Shut up! You're not part of this!", I yelled at her and Jimin slapped me and said, "Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

I touched my cheek in shock. Jimin slapped me.

My best friend, Jimin, just slapped me. I looked at him with tear-filled eyes and I said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Can't you see? I am done trying to live with your stupid fantasies of love like those stuff that we watch one Netflix, well guess what, it won't be like that! There won't be a perfect guy who will sweep you off your feet! There won't be some crazy makeover montage where you will become more attractive!", he said with a burning passion.

"But I don't want that! I want you by my side Jimin! I love you!", I said.

Jimin looked at me with not an inch of soul in his eyes and said, "Well we don't always get what we want, right? Life wouldn't be fair if that was so."

Tears escaped my eyes as I ran out of the school making my way home. As if the situation couldn't get any worse as I ran back home, it rained.

The rain was so hard that the pavement became slippery and I slipped and that's when I gave up running.

I just cried my heart out. I was so confused.

In the middle of my crying session, a man with an umbrella came and sat beside me. At first I thought it was some creep but then I recognized his face as he shared his umbrella with me.

"You! You're Mr. Kim Namjoon! You're the one who gave me that stupid Eros chocolate!", I said.

"You're right, I am him", he said in a calm tone.

"Then explain to me what happened, why does Jimin not remember anything when you also gave him the chocolate, people think I'm crazy because of this", I said as I shivered in the coldness of the rain.

"Didn't I say there was a consequence if you ate more than one square a day? This is the consequence, it resets and Jimin, he doesn't remember because he never ate more than one, and since you two are in the same timeline, he never got the chocolate and so do you but only you remember", he explained.

"Why are you doing this?", I asked, frustrated at what's become of me.

"Because I want to understand how love works for you outgoing teenagers", he said and I said, "But you can't understand it through this?! Love is not some mere project or experiment, and for you to understand it, its not through others but through yourself."

He stood up and said, "We've had enough of a chat Ms. Jiyeon, I do not take advice from a naive highschool girl."

He left and disappeared into the rain. So many questions were left unanswered. I thought I was hopeless at this point, I couldn't find my way home because the heavy rain blurred my eyesight.

I continued to sit on the pavement hoping that the rain would just go away but instead of the miracle of rain stopping, a car stopped in front of me.

The back seat door opened revealing Jungkook and he said, "Get in."

He helped me get in and I brought my soaked bag with me. I closed the door and he asked, "What are you doing under the rain? You're gonna get sick with that."

"I didn't expect that you'd actually help me, I thought I was the kind of girl you'd never talk to", I said.

"I never said that, Krystal did, I should really find a way to keep her mouth shit", he said.

I chuckled until I sneezed and coughed.

"Well worst has come to worst", he said, "You are catching a cold."

"Where's your house?", he asked. I looked out the window and said, "I can't see any of the signs."

"Well I don't think Eomma and Appa would mind if you slept over, we have enough rooms", he said.

"That rich huh?", I said. Jungkook cleared his throat and said, "We're comfortable."

"That's something a rich person would say", I said.

He just shrugged then said, "So what happened with you and your friend?"

"Jimin, oh umm, its a long story", I said

"Alright, tell me when we get to my house", he said.

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