Under the Cherry Blossoms (Taejin/Kookjin)

Chapter 5: Sunshine

AUTHOR'S POV

It was spring. The cool breeze enveloped the silent night. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, filling the whole place with its sweetness. The man-made lake glistened underneath the bright moon and the twinkling stars.

Two strangers entangled by fate are sitting on the soft green grass. They are relaxing under the peace brought by nature's overwhelming beauty. Once in a while, laughters fill the air as the two shared random stories to each other. This was a brief moment but the two felt they have known each other for a long time.

"Let's watch Spirited Away. I have a Netflix account." Taehyung suggested.

Jin beamed his adorable hamster smile which caused Taehyung's heart to flip. "I like that."

The chiseled jaw Adonis took his Bluetooth earphones from his pockets and gave one to Jin. He browsed his phone for Netflix and pressed play for Spirited Away.

The excited ethereal beauty leaned closer to Taehyung to view their favorite movie.

The tranquility of the place and the reflection of the moon's light offered a romantic ambiance.

The scene came where the wounded dragon Haku was struggling to survive. Jin was teary eyed, and he looked at Taehyung to see if his reaction was the same.

When he looked up, Taehyung was staring at him with fondness.

"Were you staring at me the whole time?" Jin knitted his eyebrows.

"Yes.. the whole time."

"Why?"

"Because you're more beautiful than the movie." Taehyung sweetly voiced out. His tone was full of sincerity.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...

For the second time, they did not avert their eyes for more than 8.2 seconds.

Jin's chest started to constrict.

"Yah!" He playfully slapped Taehyung and quickly turned his head to hide his blushing face. "Let's stop watching the movie."

"Okay. Okay." Taehyung chuckled as he noticed how red Jin was. He turned off his phone and slid it in his pocket. "What do you want to do now?"

Trying to recover form blushing, Jin took a deep breath. Without thinking that much, he said. "Can you sing for me, Taehyung?"

He flinched at his request.

"What song?"

Unable to take it back, Jin removed his restrictions and dared to look at Taehyung straight to the eyes.

"Any song that will remind us of this night?"

One... two...

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..."

Three... four...

"You make me happy when stars are gray..."

Five... Six...

"You never know dear, how much I love you..."

Seven... Eight...

"Please don't take my sunshine away..."

Nine... Ten...

Both of them stared at each other again for more than 8.2 seconds.

Triple kill.

Right there and then, they knew that they have occupied a portion of each other's heart.

The signs were crystal clear. Three times! Destiny seemed to have given them assurance thrice. And yet, one of them started to doubt.

"After this night.." Jin looked down, playing with his fingers. "Let's not communicate with each other."

The boy with the boxy smile was caught off guard and his smile slowly drained out, "What do you mean? Why?"

"Taehyung, the moment is just too perfect. It can't be this easy, right? You and me, this. What if..." Jin paused, unable to complete his sentence.

Taehyung could not understand what is going on in Jin's mind. With all honesty, he retorted. "What do you mean? Don't you feel something between us? You feel it too, right?"

Jin pursed his lips and said softly. "Yes, I do." 

 He seemed to be in a deep thought. After a moment of thinking, he finally said. "How about we sort our feelings out when we meet each other again?"

Honestly, Taehyung did not want to but he can't refuse Jin.  "Okay then. Can I have your number? Or your complete name?"

"No. I'm sorry, no."

Taehyung ruffled his hair. His mind was a mess. He was trying his best to control his emotions. "How can we meet again? I don't know your complete name. I don't have your number. You don't want us to communicate after this. How will I find you?" 

"Fate... destiny... chance?" Jin answered. There was slight hesitation hidden in his voice.

Taehyung is nervous about Jin's idea. It's like playing with fate and there's no assurance of winning. However, he does not want this night to end with an argument. He sighed in defeat. In a weak voice, he said. "Ok..."

After careful thoughts, Taehyung gathered some courage and finally said what's on his mind,

"You know what, Jin? I will never forget this night. Honestly, I'm scared of what's going to happen if we rely everything by fate. But if that's what you want, then I'll respect that. In the future, I might regret not knowing your full name. I might regret not knowing your number. I might even regret agreeing to this destiny game."

He took a deep breath. "but can I at least kiss you, Jin?... 

 .. so that at least I have something that I will surely not regret of."

They sat there in long silence while facing each other with undefined stares.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, like time wanted to stop.

Jin smiled, nodded and closed his eyes.

Taehyung softly cupped Jin's face with his warm hands. He closed his eyes and leaned for a kiss.

The blossoming plums witnessed two interlocking lips, swaying in a romantic way. Their tongues danced slowly in the rhythm of falling petals.

Passion filled the whole ambiance. And yet, it was bittersweet

Amidst this sweet tranquility, the cherry petals flutter around two unsettled hearts on Earth.