Serendipity: The Amazing Journey Of A Soulmate

24. A friend in need

"Hi, Inna! Good to see you again" he says softly. I stare at him for a few seconds without saying anything, but then I realize I've been crying and that he might've witnessed my second breakdown today. "I-I wasn't crying. It's because of the cold wind" I stutter while quickly wiping my tears. "Is that because of the wind too?" he indicates to the shattered crown on the ground. I glance at the head piece, then back at him not knowing how to explain that too. "I-" I start, but my lips part without releasing any words. "It's okay to cry, you know? Crying doesn't make you less strong. It makes you human" Jimin utters reassuringly, putting a hand on my shoulder.I look into his eyes, so big and round, very unusual for the korean standards. The lights of a billboard from the opposite building flicker in them, as if all the stardust of the universe has gathered in there. His gaze doesn't falter, watching me closely with a small smile plastered on his face.
"That guy...I know he's your friend, but he crossed a line out there" he says, fixing his gaze on the hand resting on my shoulder which Jiwoo gripped so hard earlier, almost bruising me. I don't think he was aware he was hurting me. In his desperation of bringing me back he lost control of his own power, but this should not be an excuse for acting like that. I have never seen this violent side of him. I knew he was overprotective, but never brutal. I guess you can never know a person too well; they can still surprise you and sometimes not in a good way.
"How do you-" I start saying, furrowing my brows.
"I was there. I saw what he did." he replies, moving his gaze somewhere in the distance, towards the dark horizon.
"Oh" it's all I can manage to say. "I would have meddled to get you out of his grip. I was about to do it, but Ella beat me to it. He was unnecessarily vile" he says, his eyes contemplative. Gulping hard, I look at my feet feeling awkward and ashamed. I'm usually fighting like a wildcat in situations like this; punch first, ask questions later. I can take care of myself and if it was someone else doing that to me, that person would've been slapped before having the chance to even raise their voice at me. That's how my mother taught me as a child. "You defend yourself. It's better to kick ass than having yours kicked instead" she would say to me. That's how I got in trouble so many times at school. This and my loose naughty mouth, always swearing and blurting out insults. But this time, I couldn't react. Because it was Jiwoo, my friend, one of the people who I care for so much in this world, despite me not always showing it. My friend, who betrayed me. "He will never love someone like you." I was paralyzed, unable to think straight. My mind was working in that moment slower than the fucking Internet Explorer. I'm boiling with anger and my eyes sting again, so many tears left in there to be shed. Tears of rage and hurt that I'm doing my best to force them back, shutting my eyes tightly.

As if sensing the storm inside me, Jimin speaks again. "You are right to be upset and that doesn't make you a bad person. So you can cry if you want to. Let it all out, free your heart and mind, I will stay here with you until you feel better, okay?" His words strike a chord in me. I'm not used to receive so much kindness from people, not without them expecting something in return. I'm thinking about how Namjoon put me above everything else and Jimin...Jimin that is here now, comforting me, a total stranger. All these feelings are too much too handle, overwhelming, and I can't hold in the tears any longer. I let them fall silently on my face as I rest my forehead on Jimin's chest, my sobs shaking my entire body.  He puts his arms around me, gently tapping my back with slow moves, his presence reassuring. "I'm here. You're not alone" he seems to say and I am so grateful for this. I was in need of a friend. And Mirae is out of the question. She has no fault at all, but she is Jiwoo's sister and I don't want to burden her, she is already caught in the middle of all this crap. The only person I can rely on other than Mirae is Namjoon, the man that became so dear to me, the one that gained my trust with actions and not empty words. I promised him that I will see him later and I don't want him to see me in this state. There have been too many tears between us already. He wants to see me happy and I want to see him happy too. I will not worry him again.