Til Debt Do Us Part

033

"I..."

"Jimin," a voice called him.

We both turned around to find Mina. She smiled apologetically at me and said, "I'm sorry, Dahyun, but Hyunsik wanted to speak with him."

Jimin looked at me, as if waiting for my reaction but I beamed back and said, "Go on. I'd be waiting for you around."

I then went to the bar and enjoyed trying some different desserts. When Jimin took longer than usual, I tried drinking too and I was at my third glass when Hyunsik took it away from me.

"Don't drink much," Hyunsik reminded.

I creased my forehead, "I thought Jimin was talking to you."

"Yes. We talked," Hyunsik replied, "But once we're done, he started looking for you."

He emptied the glass that I was about to drink before telling me, "Go on and find each other."

I smiled wide and Hyunsik beamed at me as well as he added, "Take care of my brother well."

I walked through the crowd, trying to find a sight of Jimin. I had a big smile on my face as I was full of excitement. The words I wanted to say were about to burst from my mouth. I just wanted to hug him and scream how much I wanted to be with him.

Finally, I found Jimin, in a more secluded part of the place, but even before I could walk towards him, I stopped upon spotting him with Mina.

I don't know what had gotten towards me, but I found myself hiding and eavesdropping.

"I thought I could get by without telling you this," Jimin spoke, "But I think you needed to know this before you get married to my brother."

I bit my lip in anticipation.

"I love you, Mina. I have always loved you."

I looked at them again, and I could see the surprise in Mina's face but Jimin looked so happy. He had that same smile when we were viewing that starry sky by the riverbed – his eyes were sparkling as if he was looking at the most beautiful thing in this universe.

I turned around, and started walking away, and with each step I take, I found my heart sinking deeper into pain. I knew that there was only one explanation for my world to shatter like this, for me to experience such excruciating pain.

Those same three words that I wanted to say earlier, have now destroyed me.

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I escaped the party and took the bus home. The other passengers threw curious glances at me for I was so dressed and dolled up to be commuting late at night. I wasn't weeping; I refused to cry in a public place. I am already miserable enough – I didn't need my dignity to dig its own grave by looking more horrible by crying in a bus while I am in my long gown.

However, when I got off the bus and started walking home, the heel of one of my shoes broke, adding up to my frustration. As if having a broken heart was not enough, I now have a broken shoe. 

I muttered a curse underneath my breath as I took the other shoe and tried breaking the heel so that both of them could be flats. But I did not have enough strength – not when every part of my body was aching, like a thousand needles piercing me at the same time.

As if the world is adding insult to injury, I bumped into the last person I wanted to see at that moment.

"Are you okay?" Jungkook asked.

Why is this guy in my neighborhood again?

"Do I look okay to you?" I sarcastically remarked as I continued hammering my shoe to the ground.

"No," he answered.

Frustratedly, I hammered my shoe harder to the ground, and I was wishing that the clacking sound it was making would muffle the words that Jungkook was saying.

"Dahyun," Jungkook called me as he walked towards me.

"Urgh!" I grunted as I threw the shoe at him, surprising the guy as it hit his shoulder.

"What was that for?" he complained in a raised tone, anger evidently written in his face.

But then his features softened when tears started streaming down my face.

"This. This is your fault," I sobbed as I pointed my finger at him, "This is all your fault."

"What did I do?" Jungkook asked, confused.

"You broke my heart," I cried, "And if you just did not show up with that girlfriend of yours, I would not have pretended that Jimin was my boyfriend."

"You pretended?" Jungkook was beyond flabbergasted.

"Yes. I was so obsessed with the idea of showing you and the whole world that I was doing okay that I agreed to pretend to be a couple with Jimin," I screamed, "If I didn't need to do that, I would not have spent so much time with him! I would have saved myself from falling for him!"

I collapsed on my knees and I was running short of breath as I confessed my misery, "And now, my heart is broken again."

My chest was clenching tight; everything was too painful to bear. Suddenly, I was reminded of the reason I was so afraid to fall in love again.

I continued sobbing hard, not bothering if people were looking at me already and I would have understood if Jungkook left me like that because of the embarrassment of being with a girl in a gown crying in the middle of the street.

But instead, Jungkook kneeled before me, and hugged me tight.

I found myself clinging to his shirt tight, as if a cat desperate for warmth.

But in Jungkook's arms, I found some shelter.

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AN: Slight angst ahead. Hold on tight!