KANG SIAN
Eight months.
Crossing off another day on the marked calendar, I swallow a bitter lump in my throat as I drop the pencil onto the counter. Jimin pokes his head into the doorway, looking back quickly when he sees my sullen expression.
"Jungkook! Sian's depressed again!"
"What are you saying?" I say playfully as I shove him out of the kitchen, just rolling my eyes at Jungkook when he smiles. "Don't believe him."
"Is it eight months?" Jungkook suddenly asks, and my expression suddenly freezes. Now the depression is clear on my face, and Jimin shoots a look at the boy.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry." He apologizes, expression uncertain. "You're still going to come to the Park, right?"
"I mean, yeah, of course." I say, trying to be as natural as possible as I relax on the couch. "But why do you want to go there at evening? And I've never seen you this excited to go to a Park—"
"The sunset's going to be pretty there today, apparently." He smiles, his eyes turning into happy crescents. "Someone told me."
"Someone?" I ask curiously, raising my eyebrows as he nods excitedly, tugging my coat free from the hook and pulling his own over his shoulders. My eyes widen when Jimin pushes his feet into his too-big shoes.
"We're going now?"
"Yeah." Jungkook mutters, and I scrunch my eyes in curiosity as I pull the jacket over my head. "Seriously, what's going on? You don't care for sunsets, Kook. And neither does Jimin."
"Well, this one's going to be pretty." Jimin stresses, pushing out his full lips and marching his way out the door. When I give a confused glance out the window, Jungkook shrugs his shoulders.
It wasn't even close to evening yet.
"Just go with it, Sian." He whispers, wincing at his own excuse. "I promise it's nothing weird."
_______________________
KANG SIAN
"Ice cream!" I exclaim, noticing one of the rare vendors that still sold the treat during the fall season. "Jungkook, do you have money?"
"I knew you were going to say that." He says, pulling out some bills from his back pocket. "Isn't it too cold for this?"
"It's never too cold." Quickly, I run over to the vendor and come back lightning speed with a strawberry cone clutched tight in my gloved hands. "Want one?"
"No, I'm fine." He laughs, but then Jimin plucks the leftover bills from my fingers.
"Just because you don't want one doesn't mean that I don't." He says brightly, and I burst into laughter as he follows my steps towards the ice cream vendor.
"You're so stubborn." Jungkook shakes his head when he sees me licking my ice cream with my teeth chattering. "You're going to catch something, you know."
"It tastes so good." Pushing one hand into a pocket, I plop myself down on the park benches and raise an eyebrow at him. "So why did you want to come here so badly again?"
"I have a present." He says in a joking tone, then looks around his surroundings with a blank expression on his face. When he turns back, I already have an idea of what he might say.
"Actually, it's close. Wait for me, okay?"
And then he disappears just like that, pulling Jimin's protesting figure along with him. In just a moment, I'm left by myself on the bench chewing slowly.
What's actually happening?
Not only was it not my birthday, it wasn't even close to a holiday. There wasn't anything special at all, and he'd got me a present?
What?
Then fingers wrap around my ice cream cone, and I exclaim in surprise as someone pushes a thick hat over my head.
"You've gotten even more beautiful."
My heart leaps up to my throat, my voice stopping as a warm arm wraps around my shoulders. Two pairs of smiling, stunning eyes meet mine before kissing my lips.
"I've missed you, Sian."
His voice has gotten even more deeper, and his boyish face from before has changed. He still has the youthful look in his deep eyes, but everything else isn't pretty anymore.
It's gorgeous.
"I'm sorry." He rasps, eyes sweeping over my figure. Not only that, he's gotten taller, standing firm with his breaths steady and gaze focused. There's no sign of the person from before. "For leaving you so long."
"You look— so healthy." I whisper, voice muffled as he brushes a warm hand over my cheek. "And..."
He breaks into a wide smile, and all of a sudden the youth is back.
"I've missed you so much." He exclaims, pulling me to his chest. The ice cream drops to the grass, but I don't even mind as I wrap my arms around his firm back.
He gets a sad look in his eyes.
"Look." He whispers, matching his eyes with mine. "You have shadows."
"I know." I half-laugh, his innocence showing. "I guess that woman didn't lie after all."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it." Wrapping my arms tighter around his body, I press back the urge to cry as I kiss softly at the curve of his ear. "Where were you?"
"Mars." His reply is quick, and I shift down to kiss at his neck. "I came as soon as I could, I promise."
"I believe you." His tone is almost desperate, and I mumble against him as I ruffle his hair. "So you're good now? No more dying, right? No illness?"
When he hears the tremble in my words, he wraps a large hand around the back of my head and pushes me against the crook of his neck and shoulder.
"Yes."
"No more."
At that, the tears I'd been holding back for such a long time comes spilling out all at once. I'm probably staining his shirt with my tears, but he doesn't say anything as I cry under his hold. All he does is pull me tighter, a secure promise.
"J-Jungkook knew about this, didn't he?" Sniffling, I scrunch my face together. "Why did he keep it from me? And he saw how much I— how much—"
"Jungkook can keep a secret." He whispers sweetly in my ear, voice heavy with apology. "I'm sorry I told him not to let you know. It was too dangerous— and I couldn't risk you coming. Everything might have been ruined then."
"Did he know from the start?"
"He knew since the night I left." Tae confirms, and I try to get a grip on my thoughts. He was right— I would've left to search for him if he'd told me about this. I wouldn't have just sat marking my calendar for the last eight months.
But looking into his happy eyes, I can't help but smile.
I'd finally gotten my enigma back.
A/n: Hi! Author here! Sorry for ending this book with such an abrupt ending but I really hope that you enjoyed while reading!
