Til Debt Do Us Part

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He chortled before suggesting, "You start."

"What do you want to know, then?"

"Hmmm," he hummed, "Who is Jeon Jungkook?"

"Let's see. He graduated Architecture from Seoul National University and is working at a renowned office nearby. He's the same age as me – "

"No," Jimin interrupted, "I want things I would not find in his resume."

Then, he rephrased his question, "Who is Jeon Jungkook to you?"

I took time to reminisce.

"I'm the valedictorian but he's the best at Math. He's also good in drawing. When I found out in high school that he had a notebook full of my sketches, I had a clue that he sees me more than a best friend," I started, "He's that guy who takes awkward selfies because he appreciates the sceneries more than the people. Therefore, he would always end up cropping out faces just to get the whole view. Nevertheless, he's a good photographer – just not with the front camera."

"I can imagine, somehow," Jimin commented with a grin.

I found myself chuckling, "He hates soft drinks. He often says that carbonated beverages make him feel like all the air in this world is in his stomach. He loves dancing. Both of us were in a dance team in high school. Unlike me, he's sociable and he easily makes friends. But despite all the people that liked him, it was me whom he would always choose to be with."

"What made you fall for him?" Jimin asked.

"His company is like a breathing space for me. I can be myself whenever I'm with him, and yet I know I would still be loved. Even if I'm at my worst, he'd still see me as the most beautiful of all," I answered.

"He knows how to comfort me whenever I'm sad. Unlike me who's childish and stubborn, Jungkook is mature. He thinks more than his age. But he knows how to have fun and bring out the kid in him whenever we're just tired of adulting."

"He's kind, especially with his words. Even if we're already fighting, he wouldn't say words that would degrade me and even when we broke up, he phrased it in such a way that he said that he was the one lacking," I said, "But nevertheless, when he left me, he still made me feel like I was not enough – like my love for him couldn't make him stay."

"He's my first love," I whispered, "And until now, I'm not actually sure if I could fall in love with someone other than him."

The both of us fell into silence before I told him, "It's your turn to speak."

"Where do you want me to start?" he questioned.

"From the time you've met her or from the time you've fallen for her, you choose," I answered.

"I think I've been in love with her for so long that I can't differentiate the two actually," Jimin answered with sincerity glistening in his eyes.

He sighed before starting, "The three of us were childhood friends – hyung, Mina and me."

"I grew up admiring her," Jimin told me, "She's great at ballet and acting. She's not that good with academics but she tries her best. Unlike me, it doesn't matter for her if she comes out best or not, as long as she knew that she gave it her all. She's more than her Instagram posts, or her photoshoots. I've seen her in moments that she was not picture-perfect, but for me, her beauty is in the way she cared for others. She was a gentle person – like a flower that was delicate and beautiful."

"I was younger than her, so she had always seen me as a kid. I thought stopping in calling her 'noona' would do the trick for her to see me as a man, but it turned out that her eyes had always been for hyung."

"I wouldn't blame her though, my brother's a great man," Jimin added, "He excels in everything he does. I admire and love him too but sometimes, I wish he was not my older brother – so that I would be free from those that I would be as good as him. However, I know that I can never equal or surpass my brother in terms of his achievements."

I understood then that Jimin had always been living in the shadow of his brother – even in the eyes of the person he loves.

In a whisper, he said, "Perhaps, if he was also not my older brother, I'd have the courage to fight for Mina's love. But seeing two people I love together, I couldn't bear to destroy that – I couldn't take away their happiness from them."

Silence resonated between the two of us as I didn't know what words to say.

Then, he questioned, "Do you think she said 'yes'?"

I looked at him and gave him a bittersweet smile as I said, "If you didn't know what her answer would be, your heart wouldn't break this much, Jimin."

He released a breath before asking, "Never being able to say that I love her, do you think I'm a coward?"

I shook my head and answered, "No. The strongest people are the ones who could make sacrifices for the people they love."

He smiled at my statement but then a single tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly brushed it away, but I could still see the pain in his eyes. Then, tears came rushing down in his face, and he then looked down and buried his face on his hand, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

But I could see how his shoulders shook and I could hear his sobs.

I then found myself pulling him closer towards me, enveloping him an embrace. He then buried his face on the nook of my neck and continued weeping. Then, his hands found my back and he grasped me as if he was asking for support.

"It's okay," I said but my voice broke, "Someday, we'd find the love we deserve. We'd find a love that would stay."

Unknowingly, tears also started cascading down my cheek.

Our sobs resonated in the room, drowned by the sound of the movie that was long forgotten. We continued holding each other, hoping that each other's warmth could ease away the pain we were experiencing.

The next morning when I woke up, I just found the both of us side by side at the sofa. We must have fallen asleep crying. I tried to move but then realized that I am trapped in Jimin's arms, with our legs tangled together. My head was against his chest so when I looked up, I could see his face up close.

My gaze traced every feature of his face, and despite the way that his eyes were swollen from crying, Jimin was still beautiful.

From the way that I could feel the rise of fall of his chest, I knew that we were too close.

But I knew that it's not just our physical intimacy that I am bothered of.

I'm alarmed that I'm becoming closer to Jimin than I should be.

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AN: Sorry, making Mina older than Jimin might be awkward for you? But I can't find another person that would suit the role. askdhasjdsah. I hope it's okay? Hahahuhu