[ PARK JIMIN ]
"Are you sure it's just empathy? Are you sure you're not feeling... attracted to me?" There was a shift in his voice as it became more silky, pleasing to listen to. I could feel my muscles relax in response to the soothing sound. "Don...
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⊰ ＥＸＴＥＮＤＥＤ ＥＰＩＬＯＧＵＥ ⊱
As I looked back at the pirates who had saved me and given me a home, at the son and daughter who had brought me so much joy, and at the man who had taken my hand and loved every single piece of my being, I realized what true love really was.
And I had it right there in front of me.
...
I couldn't hide the smile that pulled at my cheeks and stretched across my lips. Finally knowing the secret of how we'd broken the curse brought me a greater sense of victory and closure than I'd ever felt before. There was nothing left to guess about, nothing left to wonder.
I have to share this with Jimin.
Tightening my hold on the torn piece of paper, I walked across the deck and headed straight to him. He was laughing with Jin as they talked together, but when he glanced my way, he paused, his eyes shimmering as he watched me approach. A soft smile settled on his lips while he waited for me to reach him.
Jin raised a curious eyebrow as he looked between the two of us, and when I finally stopped in front of them, he was the first to speak.
"Looks like you have something important to talk about, so uh, I'll just remove myself from the premises," he said before walking towards the farther end of the deck where the rest of the crew was.
Jimin chuckled at Jin's awkwardness, then he tilted his head and lifted his hand to gently hold my chin. "What is it? You look really happy." His eyes searched mine with fondness.
"Come here," I said, immediately grabbing his hand and tugging him over to the bow of the ship, further away from everyone. It wasn't that I didn't want the rest knowing, I just wished to have this special moment with Jimin alone.
"What's that?" Curiosity brought his eyebrows together as he caught sight of the paper in my other hand.
"Namjoon found it and gave it to me," I explained before holding it out for him to take. Watching his reaction carefully, I noticed the way his eyes widened as he took in the sketch of a siren.
"Is this what I think it is?" His gaze snapped back up to me in surprise, and I just grinned and nodded.
"Turn it over," I instructed, biting my lip.
"Strong enough to wipe clean a soul's slate..." His voice was just above a whisper, full of wonder and awe. His eyes found mine again, and in them, I could see understanding and happiness shining through. "Forgiveness." He said the word quietly, but I could feel the surety in his tone.
"It sounds cheesy but... our love overcame the guilt that we both tried so long to escape. We helped each other accept our mistakes and move on from them," I told him, feeling my heart warm up as the impact hit me once again. Of course, I'd always known our love was strong. But this was confirmation of just how powerful it truly was.
